Hearts or Diamonds?
by Roja-Cyd
Summary: Eight years after the manga, Akane is a 'delivery girl' and she's left Ranma behind. Her newest assignment, however, will bring some dangerous people against her. Can she go it alone? RxA
1. A New Assignment

DISCLAIMER: Rumiko Takahashi, quite rightly, owns the rights to Ranmo and Co.  
  
Notes: Hm, this is not an AU…whew! It's a what-if continuation fic. I was stuck on Tokens…well not really. I just wanted to try a different flavor today! ^_^  
  
I should ask for some leeway, as I've never tried writing anyone in first person before.  
  
Onwards!  
  
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Prologue~  
  


"It's over," Ranma said in a dead voice. "Goodbye, Akane."  
  
I watched as Ranma Saotome turned and walked out of my life.  
  
At last everything will go back to normal, I thought. I'd really been worrying about my studies for a while now. All that fighting and all those women-hunting princes could really take their toll on a girl.  
  
I sighed. What a relief.  
  
A lone maple leaf drifted down to land near my ankle. I stared down at it. And then I broke into tears.  
  
* * *  
  
Eight Years Later ~  
  
I exhaled as the maple leaves swirled down around me like a shower of blessings. I wanted to shut out the sight, but, though it sounds odd, I never closed my eyes if I could help it anymore. I always flashed back to that scene when the maple leaves fell. That was one reason I preferred to be out of the United States during the fall. It was a bittersweet season for me.  
  
It was eight years ago, I reminded myself. Get over it. New life, new memories. He's probably some isolated hermit teaching some mountain kid the tenshin amaguriken in those mountains of his, where he and Mr. Saotome loved to train.  
  
I shifted my grip on my J&B leather briefcase. I was comfortable with it, but it was only part of the act. It matched my navy blue silk business suit, my slim gold watch and the elegant Italian pumps. The ensemble belonged to a woman walking on Fifth Ave in New York, as I was doing right then. It helped me fit in.  
  
I didn't even have to check the address as I turned into the entrance of a tall building and allowed the smilingly appreciative doorman to usher me through the huge glass and chrome doors into the marble foyer.  
  
The flight back from Thailand had been late. I'd have to check on Shampoo when I got back to my apartment. The vain little cat I'd named after my one- time nemesis was sure to have missed me.  
  
The elevator doors opened smoothly and I stepped in. It took me up to the 78th floor, in a smooth glide, the subtle speed making my ears ring. I stepped out and a pretty young receptionist behind a huge cherry wood desk smiled at me inquiringly.  
  
I flashed my card. "Akane Tendo."  
  
"Right this way, miss."  
  
I was led into a plush, gleaming office. The man behind the polished desk was tall and silver-haired. Behind him, a large window gave out onto the harbor front. He rose as I came into the room and offered me his hand to shake.  
  
"At last we meet, Ms. Tendo." His sharp grey eyes didn't dip below my chin, yet I could have sworn he had sized me up. I could appreciate a guy who didn't look me up and down.  
  
I had to tilt my head to look up at him, but I'm not a tall woman by any means and I'm used to it.  
  
I came forward, shook hands smilingly. "A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Bartlett." Politeness is free, after all.  
  
"The pleasure is certainly mine, Ms. Tendo," he said, motioning me to sit. "Your employer certainly impressed on me that you were capable, but he made no mention that you are beautiful as well."  
  
"You flatter me, sir. My employer likes his fun." I gave him a quick, wry smile.  
  
"That may be. You have a package for me?" He motioned to my briefcase.  
  
I snapped the locks open and raising the cover, took out a small velvet- covered box and placed it on the table.  
  
"Ahhh...here we go." Bartlett got a happy shine in his eyes as he picked up the box and opening it, examined the contents. He pressed a button on his desk. "That ensures that payment will be made to the specified bank account, Ms. Tendo. Thank you for delivering this."  
  
I inclined my head. It was my job. I made a living by transporting things on an international level, tricky little things that you wouldn't exactly want to send through DHL Express.  
  
"Now, what do you know of diamonds, Ms. Tendo?" he said. I gave him a long, slow blink at the sudden change of subject. It gave me time to think. I'd learned it from Nabiki.  
  
"I hear they're a girl's best friends."  
  
Bartlett burst into laughter. "Yes, indeed, Ms. Tendo! Have you heard of the Great Mogul diamond?"  
  
I paused. "It's an Indian diamond isn't it? The third largest diamond in the world. I think it weighs about 300 carats or so. It used to belong to the King who built the Taj Mahal. But it's been missing for a long time."  
  
"Well, it's not missing any longer. How would you feel about delivering it?"  
  
I sucked in air sharply. I'd feel a little apprehensive. Well, make that a lot. I'd seen pictures of the Great Mogul, and it was a honking big diamond. Ugly, too. Not the easiest thing in the world to hide.  
  
"Do you really have it?" I said.  
  
"I do. It's not mine. In fact, I am acting as an agent between two private businessmen. I need you to deliver this diamond to an English gentleman. He's my contact for the buyer. The problem is…" Bartlett folded his arms. "The problem is that I don't quite know where he is."  
  
"I see."  
  
"The last I heard, he was in Shanghai. There are a lot of people who would like to get their hands on the stone, Ms. Tendo. It's an infamous jewel. Sir Blaine was forced to disappear. I want you to find him and turn the stone over to him."  
  
Sir Blaine? Why was an English knight acting as a contact for someone else?  
  
"Who's the buyer?"  
  
Bartlett opened his desk and took out a large rose-colored diamond. He gave it to me and I was immediately distracted. Holy Christmas. The diamond lay like a condensed star in my palm, winking and gleaming and refracting a million rays of light. But honestly, it looked like an egg.  
  
I forced my eyes away from it. Not Bartlett. He looked like he could drink up the sight forever.  
  
"And the buyer is...?"  
  
"Some one I don't know," he glanced up. There was an odd look in his eyes. "A friend of Blaine's, but unable to get the stone himself for some reason."

  
"It must be delivered to Sir Phillip Blaine within two weeks. His employer is expecting the stone in a month. That's it. That's all. It's up to you to find Sir Blaine. Not a soul in the world knows where he is, not even his secretary. He's an adventurer, you see. Sometimes he goes off on expeditions. And now he's hidden himself somewhere. I can only give you the vaguest idea. Last week, he was known to be in Shanghai. But he's left the province, we believe."  
  
"I see," I stood. "Then I'll get to it with haste, sir."  
  
Bartlett gave a short cough.  
  
I looked around. "Yes?"  
  
He looked uncomfortable for the first time since I'd come into the office.  
  
"Ms. Tendo..." he cleared his throat. "I'm not one to believe in esoteric practices, beliefs...I'm certainly not superstitious. I don't believe in curses and all that."  
  
I did my slow blink again. He'd managed to surprise me twice now. But if he thought I'd laugh at his talking of curses, he was talking to the wrong girl. Or the right one.  
  
"Is there some curse you're aware of, Mr. Bartlett?" Polite, neutral, neither believing nor disbelieving.  
  
"They say that the diamond is cursed."  
  
"How?"  
  
Bartlett wiped his brow with a silk handkerchief.  
  
"When it was stolen from the Taj Mahal, a curse accompanied it, that's all I'm aware of. And it's said to have strange powers, as well."  
  
"I see. I'll keep it in mind." I turned to go.  
  
"Just a minute, Ms. Tendo. It's very important to me that Sir Blaine gets this package. You are the carrier of the package. I am making an investment in you."  
  
I stared at him.  
  
"I believe in protecting my investments, Ms. Tendo."  
  
I understood what he meant. He wanted me to take on hired muscle. I started to shake my head. "Believe me, Mr. Bartlett, you'd just be slowing me down."  
  
"There are a lot of people after this package, Ms. Tendo. I think they will slow you down even more," the old man said dryly. He leaned forward. "I will send you one bodyguard. Just one. I've picked the best. I know you prefer to work alone, but in this case, that would be inadvisable."  
  
I sighed. "All right." The customer was always right, after all. And it would be fairly easy to slip by this guard if I really needed to.  
  
"Thank you, Ms. Tendo. The man had an earlier appointment but he's waiting for you at the Capital."  
  
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Notes: Okay, was it edible? Sickening? Y'all like/hate Akane in first person? Click the button! Let me know! 


	2. Two of Hearts

DISCLAIMER: Rumiko Takahashi rightly owns the rights to Ranma and Co.

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The Capital was a nightclub that couldn't decide what it wanted to be.

It had opened a few years ago as the latest hip-hop spot for college students. When a new hip-hop club opened and it began to lose its clientele, it switched to being a techno club, with lots of pumping music and bunny-hopping teenagers.

Recently, it had closed down for renovations and was now open again as a slightly shadier and more grown up version of its former self. A friend of a friend of mine had heard gun shots there. In the way the neighbourhood had run down, that wouldn't surprise me, and it certainly didn't make me feel any better about the place.

I stepped into an alley as I neared the club. My suit would just draw attention here. I removed and folded the coat, then slipped out of the long, tight skirt. The tight, sea-blue silk Chinese tank top and leather micro-mini skirt I wore underneath would let me pass through without a second glance. It was good to be prepared.

Tucking the coat and its skirt into my carry-all, where the diamond was hidden as well, I left the alley and headed to my place of rendezvous.

I had barely reached the club entrance and was sliding my fingers into my purse for my ID when Ranma came out.

For a moment I thought I'd conjured him out of my thoughts. The ground dropped away from me, and my knees turned to jelly and didn't want to support me anymore. My breakfast wanted to come back up the wrong way.

Damn.

Ranma.

He looked taller, was my first thought. He was dressed in elegant club wear, a dark suit with a blue shirt. Where did he come from? And what was he doing here?

He wasn't exactly running but at the pace he was going, it was hard to avoid him. He was looking back the way he'd come, so with my sudden halt and his speed, he was almost upon me before he turned and saw me.

"I'm sorry, I'm not interested." He broke off and belatedly I realized that he hadn't immediately recognized me. In fact, he'd mistaken me for a hooker.

I flushed. I couldn't think of a single thing to say. My first thought was- trust the jerk to say something that stupid after eight years!

I was deciding how to vocalize that when his eyes widened in shock.

"Akane?"

_Tchow!_

Ranma gasped and stumbled against me. That had been the sound of a gunshot. The shock of the sound wasn't as great as the feel of Ranma's body against mine. My first instinct was to duck any bullets but since I couldn't do that with Ranma's body covering me, I pulled my gun out of the carry-all and looked around his shoulder, bracing him up with my other arm. The warmth of his flesh stunned me.

He's real! The thought ricocheted through my mind even as I tried to see who was taking potshots at us.

Two men stood in the doorway of the club, one grappling with the bouncer, the other aiming his gun again.

I fired off a warning shot. Didn't really want to shoot anybody if I could avoid it. Everyone ran for cover.

"Come on, Ranma!" I realized he'd been hit, and yanked him down the street and around the corner. My side was wet with his blood, where he was leaning on me. There was another gunshot and a chip of concrete flew past me. I could see the gouge in the wall. Behind me, the guy had turned the corner completely and was aiming again.

Enough was enough. I turned and fired off two shots. One hit the guy in the leg, and the other hit him in the shoulder, spinning him around like a chicken on a skewer. The other guy was nowhere to be seen. I'd count my blessings.

I grabbed Ranma by the arm, and pulled him into the first taxi that stopped for us. Inside, I didn't look at him but instead continued to scan the streets for any sign of being chased. We switched taxis twice more before I was satisfied. Ranma's face was white and he was semi-conscious.

Finally, we got to my building and up to the apartment.

In the dim hallway, I propped Ranma up against the lilac-printed wall and searched for my keys. He was sagging against the doorpost, breathing harshly, his skin pale.

I shut the door behind him. I really hadn't wanted to bring him here, not to where I lived, but he was wounded, and I had no choice.

Being inside the apartment seemed to return some of Ranma's strength back to him. I turned to watch him, as he stood planted in my living room, dripping slush onto the black silk rug, slowly and insolently sweeping the room with his gaze, and taking in the elegantly furnished apartment. I felt my life being measured.

Then his gaze turned to include me, sweeping me in a lingering look from feet to head. Taking in the indecently short skirt. The garish blouse.

"Mmmm…you're in what business…exactly?"

I could feel my face turning pale, and then flushing red. I put the carry-all down on a slender-legged cherry wood table. Forcing myself to breathe calmly, I picked up the carafe of water and poured myself a glass. I tried not to gulp it down, just drank it slowly, and filled it again.

"Don't be insulting, Ranma." I turned back, and noticed again that he was dripping blood, as well.

I walked up to him. I'd grown a few inches but he seemed to be a good head taller. I leveled my gaze and realized I was staring at the open collar of his neck. Had he really grown so much? Innumerable questions welled up within me. And theories were starting to form, as well.

But right now he was my patient.

I reached out to examine him and he stepped forward into my arms.

Too stunned to react, I felt him nuzzling my neck.

"Mmmm, Akane, you should have said. You must be very expensive, but I can afford you."

I pulled back, habit kicked in, and I threw the water in Ranma's face. Watched the transformation close up. The blue eyes looked up at me now.

"You think THAT will stop me?"

Ranma grabbed my head and kissed me deeply. I pulled back, and Ranma froze as she heard the click of an automatic. She looked down at the .22 Walther PPK that I was holding against her ribs.

"Step back. Now."

Ranma released me and stepped back, her hands in the air, though her eyes had a slightly glazed look. I suspected the blood loss was affecting her thinking.

"Still violent as ever, eh, Akane?"

"Take off the coat, Ranma."

"Oh, you didn't need a gun to ask me that, Akane." the redhead teased, smiling. Something sharp glinted in the smile.

"Shut up!" I yelled. "Just take it off!" Ranma could blow my top like no one else. If I wasn't careful, she'd make me regress back to the 16-year-old hothead I'd been, I fumed.

Ranma eased the coat off of herself with a slight hiss of pain. Her blue shirt was soaked on one side with blood.

"I've got bandages," I muttered, "Just wait here." I clicked the safety on, tucked it into the waistband of my skirt and went into my bathroom , then came out holding a large first aid kit.

"Sit, Ranma." Ranma looked about to argue, but I raised a finger. "I don't know how bad you're hurt, but sit down unless you want another hole in you." Ranma sat.

I placed the box on the gleaming cherry wood table and proceeded to briskly unbutton Ranma's shirt.

"You act like this is all familiar to you," Ranma cocked her head.

"I've patched up people before." I gently moved the cloth away from the wound until I could see it clearly. It was fairly shallow, but wide, which was why it was bleeding so much. It looked like the bullet had grazed a rib. I opened my box.

"That's great, Akane, but I have to get back to the Capital."

"What's your hurry, Ranma?" I was cleaning the wound now and kept my eyes on it. It was odd how we were acting like we weren't meeting again after eight years. I took a deep breath and tested out my first theory. "I contrive the impossible."

"I have to meet someone there, someone who is expecting me and..." Ranma stopped. I refused to look up as I placed a clean gauze pad on the wound and began to tape it up. I'd figured out who my 'guard' was. I'd just said the password to confirm it.

I could feel her eyes on me. "It's you. The impossible is easy to attain." Ranma sounded stunned. I allowed myself a mental smirk. It looked like she'd figured it out, too. The only way we could identify our contacts was through the exchange of passwords. As soon as I saw Ranma, I knew who it had to be. Huh. Call it a hunch.

I used her shock to keep her still as I begin to wind gauze strips around her ribs. I had to almost hug Ranma to do it. A slim forefinger firmly lifted my chin, forcing me to reluctantly raise my eyelashes and meet Ranma's astonished gaze.

"You're the agent. YOU work for Mr. Yamayato?"

"He pays very well," I muttered. I pulled away and continued to wind the gauze around Ranma's slim frame. I noted in peripheral vision that Ranma was still as busty as ever. That was okay, I'd filled out a little, too.

"I don't believe it. Little Akane, Daddy's pet, the dream girl of Furinkan high's male population. I thought you'd a married Kuno by now and be livin' it up in the Kuno mansion. Or maybe Ryouga."

"Ryouga?" I tied the ends together and stood up. "Ryouga's disappeared into the Himalayas, last I heard."

Ranma stared up at me. "So how did you end up here, Akane? Why the U.S? Why in this job?"

"It's really quite simple," I said. "I got a scholarship to a university here. A friend of mine was into this. It got me interested in the whole field, and then his boss was impressed by my fighting skills, and offered to train me in other things. And he did."

"Ummm..."Ranma watched me, her blue eyes smoky.

I didn't like the silence pooling around us. Normally, I didn't mind, but it was so rare to meet someone who knew me from Japan, let alone Ranma of all people. It almost felt like her deep blue eyes could look right into me. There had always been something slightly sharper about Ranma's gaze when she was a girl, as though she wasn't quite so oblivious to things in that state.

Though one thing didn't seem to change in either form - the way Ranma was staring at me, like a cat staring at a bowl of cream. Speaking of cats...

"What about you, Ranma? How did you show up here?" I said suddenly, remembering Shampoo had not come out to greet me. I figured she must be roaming around outside. I wondered if Ranma still suffered from cat phobia.

"Special task force from Osaka, loaned to Uncle Sam, along with a few others."

What I'd really wanted to find out was what he'd been doing all these years, but did I really want to know?

"They couldn't have wanted to let you go."

"I volunteered. I didn't really want to stay in Japan. Or Asia for that matter."

"Then you've picked the wrong assignment. We're heading to Shanghai."

My pager vibrated. It was Mr. Y's message.

"We're summoned." I looked up. "Note the operative 'we'."

Ranma smiled. "He knows we met."

"Hm, we're meeting him at the Butterfly." Great. Another fancy club. "We need to dress up a little." I eyed Ranma's silk dress shirt and dark slacks. "Although you're ahead of the game."

"I was...interrupted on my way out." Ranma said, with a frown. "The call for this assignment came real suddenly."

"Hot date?" I asked, smiling.

"Sizzler."

"Reeeally..." I didn't feel so pleased anymore. I stood up. "Well, your shirt is a lost cause. Are you ok to walk?"

"I'm fine."

"Good. I'll find you a spare shirt. The bathroom's in the hall, if you want to change."

I watched as Ranma disappeared into the bathroom. What on earth was wrong with him? Why was he coming onto me like I was a six-course dinner and he was a starving prisoner? The Ranma I knew would have just called me 'uncute' and got it over with. Had eight years really made that much of a difference?

Confused, I went to rummage in my closet. I found a man's navy silk shirt I'd used for an outfit once. It was too large for me, so it might fit Ranma.

Looking through my closet, I pondered clubbing clothes. It wasn't a problem. Black, lacy underwear, not that I was planning on flashing anyone, but it was nice to have everything match.I pulled on a blood red silk tank top and buttoned my favorite black, net short sleeved shirt over it. My matte-black leather pants completed the outfit. I quickly ran a brush through my still short hair, applied eyeliner and my deep red lipstick and then put on the real stuff. The knives, the garrotes, the 'special' locket...

Returning to the living room, I studied the closed bathroom door. Behind it was Ranma. I'd given him the shirt and I knew he wasn't a figment of my jet- lagged imagination.

I began to pace around the room. Ranma was back in my life, for how long I was unsure, but I knew it wasn't for longer than it took for this assignment to be over. No way was he going to forgive and forget what I'd done to him, and I'd better remember that.

Automatically, I rechecked my knives, and the little 'extras'. Everything was secure, and it calmed me down to feel the familiar tools, the stuff that belonged to me.

Ranma strode out of the bathroom, back to his normal size and shape. "Ready to go, Akane." He stared at me, then said silkily, "My, don't you look edible."

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Notes: Yes, I'm insane as I have an assignmnet due tomorrow and so I'm procrastinating by writing this at 3am.. Sooo..y'all be nice and leave me some reviews so I don't wake up in the morning and hate myself! ^_^


	3. I, Ranma

DISCLAIMER: Rumiko Takahashi is the owner, creator, and goddess of the Ranma ½ world. "Diamonds are forever" is a James Bond theme song and the lyrics are used here without permission.

Notes: Hello! Wow...thanks for all the awesome and thoughtful reviews. I read 'em all twice at least! ^_^ Okay……….so here's Ranma in first-person, something I NEVER thought I'd do, but I couldn't figure out any other way to get some questions answered, yours and mine both!

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_Diamonds are forever,_

_Hold one up and then caress it,_

_Touch it, stroke it and undress it,_

_I can see ev'ry part,_

_Nothing hides in the heart to hurt me._

_I don't need love,_

_For what good will love do me?_

_Diamonds never lie to me,_

_For when love's gone,_

_They'll lustre on..._

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Akane Tendo. The girl I'd sworn never to see again. When I first saw her standing outside the Capital, I hadn't recognized her. I wasn't in the best of shape to recognize much of anything at the time.

I'd been seated at a table with my drink, waiting for my contact from Mr. Yamayato to arrive when the two goons had popped up outta nowhere. One of 'em had pulled a gun on me, which ordinarily wouldn't have made a whole lot of difference in my life, such as it was. The past few years had helped some with that.

I figured I could take them out easy.

I stood up, feeling my heartbeat speed up at the thought of a fight. I threw a couple of punches, a kick and oddly enough, I missed them. What...?

_Damn_, went through my mind before one of 'em kicked me in the stomach. I hadn't even had time to react. Why the hell was I moving so slowly? I felt fine, but at the speed at which I was moving, I might just as well have been made out of lead.

The other guy caught me in a grapple hold.

That's when I finally had a stroke of luck. A group of girls had been dancing near us, and one of them, really drunk, slipped and fell against us, sending all three of us crashing into a table. People realized what was happening. I heard someone screaming and wondered where the bouncers were.

I might have been slow but I was still faster than some drunk chick in high heels. I flipped her and she sprawled onto my assailant, tangling him in her legs. I think if he hadn't been so set on catching me, he might've stayed put. Her friends had stopped dancing and were busy trying to pull them apart and of course were more hindrance than help. The first guy was trying to shove his way through them.

Escape and regroup- that sounded like the best option. I headed for the exit, knowing they wouldn't be far behind me. I tried to run, but I could tell that wasn't happening. Amazingly enough, I got out past the bouncers, noted the pretty long-legged asian hooker in the micro-mini and tried to get out of her way.

And that was how I'd ended up here in Akane's apartment. When I'd first realized it was her standing on the sidewalk, the most incredible wave of fury and shock and…let's face it, lust had slammed through me. Talk about your inconvenient emotions at the worst time possible. Then the bullet did the same. Letting her drag me away had seemed like the most expedient thing to do.

Even though my body felt like it was moving in molasses, my mind watched Akane use a gun with cool skill and marveled at it.

So I wasn't the only one who'd changed over the years.

Who are you kidding? asked a sarcastic voice in my head. It's not like eight years went by just for you, dummy. People change.

For some reason, Akane decided we needed three taxis to get home. I really didn't think my attackers were that smart. But it gave me time to fight the drug *_it had to be a drug*_ in me. I used the same method I used when I was out drinking and didn't want to fall on my face. It was all about regaining control.

Once I'd gone through 17 tequila shots, sitting around drinking with a bunch of guys. My tolerance for alcohol isn't anything spectacular, but I was the last one to pass out and the first one to wake up the next morning. None of them ever drank with me again.

So I hunched over in the taxis, working on control, forcing my mind to pick up the reins to my body again. Akane probably thought I was fighting the pain, but for me, loss of my customary speed was much worse.

_Control_, I chanted to myself. I'm fine. _It's just about…control._

By the time we reached the apartment I was feeling, if not better, then definitely more clear-headed. I had a lot of questions, mainly concerning the goons. And now I had to deal with Akane.

Looking around her apartment, catching glimpses of her in my peripheral vision, I couldn't believe how much she and her life had changed. At least on the outside. Was she really that different?

Part of me ached to show her how changed I was, too. I wanted to show her how self-confident, how grown-up I'd become. I opened my mouth to dazzle her with my sophistication and said, ""Mmm…you're in what business…exactly?"

Ack. Where in the world had that come from? I'd sounded like such a jerk. Some evil impulse seemed to have taken over my mind, some part of me that was still so furious at Akane that it wanted to lash out at her until she bled. Letting her KNOW I was angry would be humiliating, would show that she still affected me, and that I simply couldn't stand.

It just went downhill from there.

###########

The Butterfly was one of the more exotic Chinese clubs in town. The hostess who showed us to our table in the VIP section where it was quieter was gorgeous, dressed in a long, slinky Chinese costume of red silk. I smiled at her admiringly. I'd learned to appreciate pretty women where I found them. I caught Akane frowning at me, and grinned inwardly.

Seichi Yamayato was already seated at our table. An amiable looking asian man, he smiled and rose, waiting for me to seat Akane. She looked surprised when I pulled her chair back for her. I winked at her.

"Akane, I'm pleased to see you." Yamayato bowed over her wrist. "May I say Thailand agreed with you?"

Akane inclined her head in the gesture of respect. "Sir, since all went well, it certainly agreed with me."

He smiled and turned to me. "Welcome to New York, Mr. Saotome. May I call you Ranma? I've heard so much about you that it's a much anticipated honor."

And whatever you heard is still nowhere close to the real truth, I mused.

I bowed slightly. "You honor me, Mr. Yamayato." I sat down to complete our triangle.

After the requisite few minutes of small talk, Yamayato leaned forward. "Ranma, you were given this assignment with little idea of what to expect. What I expect is this. Akane has been given a package to deliver. You must guard her and the package. The package first, Akane second. Akane is adept enough at defending herself. But preferably both."

"Now both of you have tickets booked to Shanghai. Sir Blaine was checked in at the Silver Lily Hotel, and so are the both of you. From there, you're on your own. But first, I'd suggest you drop by the office and pick up Ranma's traveling bag, Akane."

"Yes, sir."

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We retrieved my bag from the office. Out on the street, Akane looked at me expectantly. I smiled sunnily back at her.

"Well, the flight's at eight in the morning," she said, trying for a casual tone of voice. "Why don't we meet at the airport at six?" She was dying to get rid of me, I knew. How nice that I had a legitimate reason to refuse.

I shook my head. "That's not how it works, Akane. I've taken on a job, and you're it. Until that package is delivered, I'm not letting you out of my sight."

"You're joking." She frowned. "I'm sure I'll be perfectly alright for a few hours. I don't even believe I need you in the first place."

Yeah, so I found out a long time ago. The ever-present rage surged up in me briefly, but I tamped it down and just shrugged breezily. "Doesn't matter. I'm getting paid for this."

##############

Back at the apartment, Akane glanced around.

"Let me show you to the spare bedroom," she started, but I shook my head, deciding to carry it all the way.

"Akane, I meant what I said. I'm sleeping in your room."

If only Nabiki could see us now, I mused.

Akane looked irritated, but she seemed to be fighting an urge to argue. Surprisingly, she won.

Wow, she really HAS changed, I thought to myself.

"Fine. I don't know what there could be for dinner," she said. "I just got back in, and I've been gone a couple of days." She uncovered some frozen lasagna and heated it up in the microwave.

I had to hide a grin. Living without Kasumi, she had obviously realized the advantages of pre-cooked food over her own cooking. However, she added a small homemade tossed salad that was surpisingly edible, along with bottled water. I'd seen her open her fridge, consider the white wine, and then decide quite firmly that that would be a bad idea. Pity.

We avoided conversation at the dining table. I stared down at the rubbery lasagna, feeling the silence stretch and stretch. Only the clink of forks and knives punctuated it.

Is this it? I wondered. Is this the big reunion after so long?

"Where's your Dad?" Akane finally asked.

I didn't look up. "I haven't seen him since I left."

"Oh." She said quietly. Looked like neither of us wanted to think of that day.

#################

I woke before the alarm rang and sat up silently. Akane was still asleep on the bed. I pulled off the covers and padded down the hallway to the bathroom, trying to remember all my questions from the day before.

Brushing my teeth, I stared into the mirror and wondered again who the goons had been. Why had they picked that spot, a crowded place, to attack me? And how on earth had they drugged m…I straightened. Of course. I'd been careful about making sure no one touched my drink after I'd got it, but obviously it must have been drugged before it came to me. Curiouser and curiouser. I washed up and opened the door to the hallway and collided with Akane, my arms going automatically around her to steady her.

I watched her as memory flashed through her eyes, washing sleep away like clear waves on sand. She looked adorable in her oversized t-shirt and messed up hair. She felt warm and soft and unendingly cuddly in my arms. Why had I left her? With her scent clouding my senses, I almost couldn't remember. But almost was not enough.

We drew apart at the same time. I kept backing away. "Sorry..." I almost expected her magic mallet to appear out of midair and try to dent my skull.

Akane just shook her head. "Sorry, I...forgot…"

She was apologizing to me? I spread my hands. "It's ok, Akane. I'm done. You can go in."

I watched her enter the bathroom and close the door. How had she changed so much? And did I care?

Gah! I heaved an annoyed sigh and ran a hand through my hair. That way lay madness.

The airport was bustling even so early in the morning. We walked through the terminal, Akane having dropped off a suitcase when we checked in. I was familiar enough with the place since I'd just landed in New York two days ago.

Once the flight had taken off, I leaned back. It was a long flight to Shanghai and seeing that the flight wasn't too full, I was gonna do my best to avoid Akane till we got there.

#####################################################################

Notes: I know y'all were expecting a long explainatory chapter on why Ranma and Akane have turned into such different creatures, but it looks like that won't happen, exactly… It'll be more of a 'put-the-pieces- together' kinda thing, I guess. The other way feels too easy ie here's Ranma, here's why he's weird. ^_^;;

So, please review!


	4. Akane AgainR for language and implied nu...

Ch.4 Akane Again  
  
DISCLAIMER: Rumiko Takahashi is a brilliant lady, who hath created Ranma and Co.  
  
Notes: Switching back to Akane's viewpoint. Please do C&C, it helps me loads and loads. Thanks for all the reviews, everyone! I am not worthy!!^_^  
  
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Shanghai was a bustling city. I had been here only once before and I was charmed to find it much as I remembered it. The city was noisy and colorful, and as soon as we stepped out of the airport, all sorts of scents assaulted our nostrils. The smell of spices, garbage, perfumes and oils all messed up together in a heady mix.  
  
Outside the airport, waiting for our rental car, we were surrounded by dozens of beggar children, flocking around us and other people coming through the glass doors.  
  
I'd prepared for this. Giving the kids money was strongly discouraged, so I always collected loads of hard candy from the flight. It was easy to grab them from my pocket and hand them around to the eager kids. Ranma just looked uncomfortable.  
  
That's when our car drove up. The chauffeur got out and came around the front of the car to hand us the keys.  
  
Ranma stared at the keys in his hand and then studied the car.  
  
"Is this ok for you, Ranma?" I asked. I knew some bodyguards had strange requirements about trying to control their environment as much as possible.  
  
Ranma started and looked around at the little kids who were now pestering tourists.  
  
"Gave away all your candy, huh? Little pests."  
  
I smiled. "I don't mind."  
  
Ranma stared at me. "Akane…"  
  
"Hmm…?"  
  
"Do you still trust me?" He was frowning, waiting for my reply.  
  
"Huh?" My heart stuttered for a second and then my well-trained mask of polite amusement fell into place. I raised my eyebrows. "Hey, who can you trust if not your bodyguard, right?"  
  
For some reason, Ranma smiled at that.  
  
"Let's get going," he said. He tossed me the keys. "I'm bushed and I wanna hit the sack."  
  
We got into the car with me in the driver's seat. My suitcase had already been stored in the trunk.  
  
"The Silver Lily. That's where we're headed," he said, taking out our map to look at it. The Silver Lily was the hotel where Sir Blaine had last been seen, and we had been booked into a suite there.  
  
"Okay, give me directions." I accelerated slightly. We zoomed ahead of the cars to our right. "I'll get us there."  
  
Ranma reeled off commands, studying the map and looking up occasionally to study the layout of the city around us.  
  
The car was quite smooth to drive, and I admit I enjoyed myself. The drivers were a bit rude though. I could hear curses as I zoomed by.  
  
"Are you sure we're not lost?" I asked finally. "The roads have gotten kind of…empty."  
  
"I dunno, Akane…"In my peripheral vision, Ranma scowled down at the hapless map, as though it had steered him wrong on purpose. "I thought…"  
  
What he thought I'll never know, because right then two bands of flexible pipe came down over our heads and tightened around our throats.  
  
I tried to scream but my air was cut off. My first instinct was to claw at the pipe, stop it from crushing my windpipe, but of course as soon as I tried that, the car started to veer crazily.  
  
"Shut up, girl!" came a man's hoarse voice behind my seat. "Just die quietly!"  
  
Like that was possible. I got a glimpse of a heavy, unshaven face in the rear-view mirror as I scrabbled at the pipe with one hand and tried to steer with the other.  
  
"Sorry…about this…" came Ranma's strangled voice, and then a shoe came down so hard and so suddenly on the foot I was using to hold down the accelerator that I thought my foot was fractured for sure.  
  
The car raced forward, making the MPH needle jump. My stomach sank with fear. A large hand came into my swiftly blurring sight and twisted the steering wheel so hard the car actually jerked before it careened sharply. There was the sound of a loud crash and breaking glass, and then the most unbelievable shock went through the car and through my body, leaving molecules whizzing in its wake.  
  
Everything went black.  
  
************************************************************  
  
"Akane! Akane, wake up!" I woke to the sensation of being shaken like a rag, felt my head rolling around loosely and painfully on my shoulders.  
  
"R...Ranma?" Ranma let go of me and I sat up and looked around. I was lying on the ground, near the car, which had smashed into a tree. Our two assailants were tied up against the tree, completely knocked out. I couldn't believe everyone had survived that.  
  
"How in the world…what…" I thought back to the little scene at the airport.  
  
"You *knew* those two were in there, didn't you?" I accused him. "What on Earth were you playing at?"  
  
"Heh. Akane." Ranma folded his arms and looked away. "Stop and think for a minute. You had all those kids around you. Not to mention tourists nearby. Sometimes you just have to believe that a crash can harm two hitchhikers more than you when you've got airbags to count on! Besides, if we'd found 'attackers' in the car right in front of the airport, we wouldn't have had a chance to do this!"  
  
He walked up to the first guy and kicked him in the ribs. "Hey! Wake up, you! Before I decide to throw you into another tree!"  
  
The attacker, a surly looking man, groaned and opened his eyes.  
  
"You know the drill." Ranma bent and grabbed a fistful of his dark tunic. "Who sent you?"  
  
The man growled out something disgusting. Ranma picked him up by the scruff of his shirt and slammed him into the tree trunk. I winced. I thought I heard something break.  
  
"Aaaagh!" The man screamed.  
  
"Another tree, you say?" Ranma asked pleasantly.  
  
"Nooo, wait…kind sir…we were just hired… that's all. A man hired us."  
  
"And his name is…?" Ranma casually cracked his fists.  
  
"Kesari Dal!" the man continued hastily.  
  
Ranma flipped open his cell phone and placed a quick call to the Shanghai police station in Chinese, telling them that two thugs had tried to attack us.  
  
I wobbled over to where the car lay. Three of the wheels had burst so I was able to turn and place my elbows on the leaning roof, and rest my back against an unbroken window.  
  
"The police are on their way." Ranma walked up and watched me wiggle my neck to make sure nothing had been knocked loose.  
  
"Ranma, did you really know those guys were in there?" I asked. "Why didn't you drive?"  
  
"I didn't want to rasie their suspicions. I didn't get us lost by accident, Akane. I've been in Shanghai before. We needed a quiet road to deal with them."  
  
There it was again, another tantalizing tidbit about his past. So he'd traveled quite a bit, apparently. I was trying to figure out how to frame a casual question when he said, "You're as unfeminine as ever, I see."  
  
"Huh?" I gaped at him.  
  
"Akane, you're not a bad driver, but you were born with a lead foot!" He smirked at me. "You might as well tape the accelerator down!"  
  
It sounded so much like one of our childish insults that I started to giggle. Ranma stared at me with surprise, as though I were a lab animal that had suddenly done something unexpected. He began to smile and my giggles grew louder, and even, I guess, a little hysterical.  
  
"You know what, Ranma?" I gasped.  
  
"What?" he asked, grinning.  
  
"You are so uncute!" I burst into shrieks of laughter at his face, and he threw back his head and began to laugh as well.  
  
"Well, you're a pervert!" he shouted. I collapsed into giggles again.  
  
. "And you're...built like a…"  
  
"..brick!" we shouted together, laughing loud, gasping laughs that made our stomachs hurt. God, it seemed so hilarious. All those insults and name-calling of so long ago sounded so infantile and kiddish now.  
  
Of course, it really wasn't that funny. I'd shed a few tears over that name-calling when I was sixteen and I knew now, looking back with spectacular hindsight, that Ranma hadn't had the easiest time of it either.  
  
But…there was something in that moment. A momentary harmony. We'd go back to the cold war soon enough.  
  
**********************************************************  
  
  
  
At the hotel, we checked in as Mr. and Mrs. Higurashi. I slid a glance across at Ranma signing in the guest book. If our fathers had had their way, I really would have been married to Ranma by now. But we wouldn't be here in Shanghai, sweating in the heat. We'd be at the Tendo dojo and Ranma would be teaching students and I might…  
  
Abruptly, I blushed, as my unruly mind skipped ahead to the natural consequences of marriage and sharing a bed. Furious at my wayward thoughts, I swung our bags up, ready to carry them off.  
  
The clerk and Ranma glanced up together. The clerk's eyes widened in surprise. Ranma smiled between his teeth and reached over to grab the bags.  
  
"Darling," he said warningly, "Don't strain yourself."  
  
Oops. I'd forgotten that I was hardly supposed to be the strong type.  
  
"Thank you, dear. I'm just so excited to be here! Uncle Phillip really did pick nice places, didn't he?"  
  
I turned to the clerk. "My uncle Phillip came here for a vacation last week. I'm sure you remember him. A tall man, with red hair...uhh, wore lots of sporty coats...?" At least that's how Sir Blaine had been described to us.  
  
"Ahhhh, yes," the clerk smiled. "He was your uncle? He left day before yesterday."  
  
"What?" I shrieked. "He was here so recently?? Oh, darling, we just missed him. Oh, I wonder, do you know if he saw anyone here?"  
  
"Yes, he used to walk around with Mr. Hiro. That's another gentleman who is staying at the hotel. And there was also a lady, forgive me, I've forgotten her name. She was quite beautfiul."  
  
"Oh, I see. What room is Mr. Hiro in? Perhaps I could ask him about my uncle."  
  
We got the room numbers for my 'uncle's' room and Mr. Hiro's room, too. Unfortunately, a British couple had just moved into Sir Blaine's room.  
  
Ranma placed a quick peck on my cheek and walked by. "Let's go, *darling*. We can relax up in the room."  
  
  
  
The room was light and airy, filled with bamboo furniture and fitted with silk. I walked onto the balcony, leaving the shower to Ranma. I felt better after my bath and cool and clean in my white halter-top and black shorts.  
  
The view was beautiful from up here on the third floor. The sea stretched below us like a blue prairie. I couldn't help wishing this vacation was real. Sans Ranma, of course.  
  
"How do you plan to find this guy, Akane?" asked the object of my long-ago affection.  
  
I turned from the balcony. Ranma was standing there with a towel slung around his slim waist, drying his hair with another one. His hair lay long and loose and damp about his very wide shoulders. I dragged my gaze up to meet his. It was very obvious that he still practiced the art.  
  
"We need to search Blaine's room, talk to Hiro and the lady, whoever she is."  
  
"And you got any idea who this 'Kesari Dal' is?" He'd flipped his hair over his head and was towelling the ends.  
  
"No. The name sounds Indian, though."  
  
Ranma flipped his hair back and stared at me. "Akane, I think it's time you told me what's in that package you're carrying."  
  
By the contract he had with my company, I wasn't required to tell him anything, but at this point, there wasn't much use in having Ranma around if he didn't know what the hell was going on.  
  
I told him about the diamond. Ranma whistled.  
  
"The Great Mogul? No one's seen that in a long time, Akane. In fact, I thought it'd been cut up into smaller diamonds."  
  
I took the stone out of its hiding place and we watched it sparkle.  
  
Ranma pursed his lips. "I really don't know much about diamonds, but this one's…"  
  
"Not as pretty as you expected?" I grinned. "Yeah, but it's priceless."  
  
We'd discussed Ranma's attackers briefly on the flight. I was startng to wonder now if they were connected to him or me.  
  
"Sir Blaine came to Shanghai for a reason, Ranma," I said. "Possibly to buy something. I know some people here. If Blaine's been here, they'll know about it. We can go see them right now."  
  
"Whoa," Ranma gave his hair a final rub. "I'm goin' nowhere without lunch, Akane."  
  
"Still thinking with your stomach, Ranma?" I smiled, remembering the Saotome food fights at the Tendo dining table.  
  
Ranma smiled at me, then he gave me a once-over. "Not always with my stomach, Akane"  
  
Eeek. Where had Flirting Ranma re-appeared from? I bopped him on the head as I went past him.  
  
"Hey," he grinned. "You walked into that one."  
  
"Ranma?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Your towel's slipping."  
  
"Aagh!"  
  
  
  
We picked a seafood restaurant.  
  
Ranma finished ordering and the waiter took our menus. This was the moment I dreaded. When I could no longer avoid him and could not think of anything about the case to discuss with him. When in doubt, prevaricate.  
  
I leaned back. "So. When have you been to Shanghai before, Ranma?"  
  
" I've been here on business." There was no warning before his next words, not even a blink. "Why aren't you at home, Akane? You were inheriting the dojo. I figured you'd have settled down by now, married Ryouga or Kuno or one of those other guys who used to come along all the time and had a couple of kids by now."  
  
I went pink with embarrassment. Did Ranma think I was some kind of housewife?  
  
"After you..."I cleared my throat. "After you left, Dad was pretty disappointed with me. He's still leaving me the dojo, but he started teaching again. He's got quite a number of students now. I don't think he'll be stopping any time soon. He's still very…very healthy."I was babbling and I knew it. "Anyway, I...got tired of Nerima and anyway, I got a scholarship to study abroad. So I came here. It's really that simple."  
  
"Have you gone back?"  
  
I paused. "Once." It had been for Kasumi's wedding. Seeing home again without Ranma there had torn my heart open. Nabiki had also visited from her college, and Kasumi had been so deliriously happy that it hurt to remember how her marriage had ended.  
  
The waiter arrived with our meals.  
  
"What about you?" I glanced down at my folded hands. "I thought...that you would go to Ukyo or even Shampoo. But they were just as...I mean, they were broken-hearted. You really did disappear completely."  
  
"Well, I didn't see any reason to stay around." Ranma's eyes had hardened. They reminded me of polished pewter. "As for Ukyo and Shampoo, yes, I was sorry to see the last of them. I did pay them both last visits. It was...very rewarding."  
  
I blanched. "I see." I could just imagine it. Ranma in that last fit of rage might have done anything. It was hardly surprising if he'd decided to have some fun of his own before he left. Images of Ukyo and then Shampoo wrapped around Ranma flashed through my head.  
  
I stared down at my meal. I'd completely lost my appetite. But if there was one thing I knew in this business, it was that I had to fuel myself. I twirled my chopsticks and began to eat methodically.  
  
And besides, I couldn't really blame him. I could tell him the truth now, but why would he believe me? He had no reason to.  
  
Ranma was watching me. "What about Kuno?" he asked, and had the great pleasure of watching me flinch.  
  
"I don't know. I think he took over his family business and..."  
  
"I meant," said Ranma, softly, "What about Kuno and you?"  
  
Looking up, I noticed that Ranma had finished his plate. Apparently he wasn't bothered by old emotions. Abruptly, I felt angry.  
  
"We were never together, Ranma. I know what it looked like, but I was never with him."  
  
"You lying bitch,' said Ranma, softly. " You've got the nerve to tell me nothing was going on when I caught you naked in bed with him?"  
  
********************************************************************  
  
Notes: Abrupt ending, I know…but it's 4am, dunno how that happened, and my eyelids refuse to stay open. If all this looks like complete rubbish in the morning, I shall revise but it makes sense to me so far. Hope it does to you, too!!! 


	5. Memory

DISCLAIMER: Rumiko Takahashi owns Ranma & Co. I'm just borrowing them to play with. Lyrics from 'Scenes From a Memory' are used here without permission.

Notes: Okey! I've revised this somewhat. Though I might replace it again. o_O

A lot of people felt like WTF, but all for very different reasons, but it all came out to everyone being too OOC. Sooo, here's Take 2.

*******************************************************************

_There's a house I'm drawn to_

_Familiar settings nothing new_

_There's a pathway leading there_

_With a haunting chill in the air_

_There's a room at the top of the stairs_

_Every night I'm drawn up there_

_There's a girl in the mirror_

_Her face is getting clearer_

_Young child won't you tell me why I'm here?_

_In her eyes- I sense a story never told_

_Behind the disguise- There's something tearing_

_At her soul_

--------------------------------------------------

_Flashback~_

"Hey, Akane! Ya coming?" Ranma was already out the door and his voice floated back to me as I put down my school bag and bent to fasten my shoes.

A pair of stockinged legs passed me. It was Nabiki, also on her way to school. She was walking slowly. In my hurry to race Ranma, I ran past her with a smile and a quick greeting.

Outside in the sunshine, I swung my bag around in a happy arc. Ever since we'd returned from Jusendo, where I'd had my brief brush with death, everything here at home looked so much brighter. Things had a sparkly quality about them, like I was seeing everything afresh.

So what if Ranma and I still had admirers and fiancées after us? Right then, it felt like we had all the time in the world.

Years later, I always remembered that feeling with bitter amusement.

But at that moment, I was sixteen and the ground fell away from me as I chased after Ranma. Just another day in Nerima.

At school, I stared at the teacher and aimlessly thought up ways to get rid of Ranma's fiancées. Just a way to pass time during class. I kept trying to imagine dunking Shampoo in the spring of Drowned Geek. Wouldn't that be fun? I was in a slightly silly mood.

That changed at lunchtime when Ranma deliberately insulted me in front of Ukyo. I think he regressed for a second. I came home alone that afternoon, mad at Ranma again. Why did that jerk have to open his big mouth all the time? If he had one talent aside from martial arts, it was his ability to say exactly the wrong thing to me.

I stomped up the stairs to my room, passing Nabiki's door on the way.

Huh? I paused.

Was that the sound of crying coming from her room?

It sounded like it, but the sounds were so soft that it was hard to tell. I knocked on the door and pushed it open without waiting for a response.

Nabiki was hastily drying her tears on the sleeve of her blouse, and she looked up in surprise when I walked in.

"Akane, is school finished already?" she asked.

"Onee-chan, what's wrong?" I asked, concerned and worried over what could make my big sister cry.

"I…I…Oh, Akane, it's nothing." Nabiki stood and walked to her window. She placed her hands on the sill and looked outside. "It's just…that time of month."

"You're lying!" I said. "I've never seen you cry from cramps before. It's something else. Come on, tell me."

It took a little while, but eventually I made her sit down and dragged the story out of her.

"Remember that evening when I went out to that party?" she asked, her eyes filling with tears again.

"Yes." I stroked her back comfortingly. Nabiki had been invited two nights ago to a senior class party. She'd talked about it for days before the event. Oddly, she hadn't mentioned it after the fact, but I'd been so busy with my own things that I hadn't noticed.

"Well, I…Akane, you're not going to believe this but…at the party, I was WATCHING for it….I KNOW I was watching for it….I know the things that are out there…"

"What did you watch for?" I asked, my heart sinking. Drugs, my mind was saying. You know it's drugs.

"Ecstacy." Nabiki stared at her hands clenched tightly in her lap.

"You…had sex?" I asked, puzzled.

Nabiki gave a tearful laugh. "Not that kind of ecstacy, Akane." She paused, squeezed her eyes shut. I felt a fine trembling go through her. Even once she'd stopped shaking, she barely choked out, "I was talking about the *drug*, Ecstacy."

That scary word. I didn't know much about drugs but I knew I wanted to stay away from them. Until now, I'd thought Nabiki felt the same way.

"How..I mean, why…"

Nabiki shook her head. "I thought I was in control. I'd learned from a source that some of the people there had acquired a batch from…"

"Not from you?" I asked, turning cynical for just a moment.

"Akane!" Nabiki's head shot up and she glared at me. "No matter what I do, I'd never sell drugs! I hate that stuff!" She glanced down again, as though she simply couldn't hold my gaze for long.

"I made arrangements. I had people watching my glass, people watching the users….I didn't even drink that much. Really, I thought I had it all under control."She hunched her shoulders slightly. "Boy, was I wrong. The party was going so great. All these guys were dancing with me and…I guess I just felt wanted for a change. But somehow, they slipped it into me. It must have been in my food or something." She laughed wildly. "I wouldn't have guess that they'd be *that* desperate to drug me!"

Oh, God, I wish Mom was here, I thought desperately.

"Oh, Nabiki, but you're okay now, right? I mean…"

Nabiki shook her head. "That's not the worst of it. The next morning, Kunou showed me some pictures he'd gotten. Some college guy had showed up with a camera. Kuno saw pictures, and of course his first instinct was-buy them! I think I've trained him too well."She smiled bitterly. "The drug, Akane, X makes you want to touch everyone and everything. Those photos have me in some…very…" She gulped. "…compromising positions."

The most awful rage suddenly filled me. To think that a college boy had dared to take advantage of my sister. And as for Kunou….

"Don't you worry about a thing, Nabiki! I'll just go and knock his lights out for you. We'll get those photos back, never fear."

Nabiki began to cry again. "Oh, Akane, that's still not the worst, though God knows I'll never be able to hold my head up in school. Well, I suppose that's not quite true. I'm not the only girl they got pictures of. Until now, I never realized how it really feels to be in pictures like that."

She bent forward, her hair falling in a silky brown curtain to hide her face. I couldn't see her expression.

"I…I told him about Ranma's curse. I mean, I explained it to him in explicit detail. I followed him around for awhile, rubbing it in his face. That drug just brought out some kind of streak in me. I REALLY wanted him to know. I laughed at him. We all did. But he still wouldn't have believed me if…"

Nabiki stopped and shuddered. "Akane, there was such a cocktail of drugs at that party. Some kid's brother brought his college friends. Anyway, Kuno ended up getting a learning enhancer."

"What's that?" I asked, quite out of my depth.

"It's a drug that's supposed to sharpen your mental clarity. Is there anyone you know who needs it more than Kunou? Whatever you experience during the effect is stamped into memory in nearly perfect clarity. His eyes were so wide. He took it pretty hard. He thought we were all making fun of him, since everyone knew about Ranma's girl side except him, and…suddenly all his desire for her turned into the most unbelievable hatred. He can't stand the thought of even touching Ranma."

Wow. Well, this was Nerima after all. I figured even a drug party could go crazy. If onlythey hadn't involved my sister….

Kunou, though. I didn't see how this could be bad news. It had been a few really nice Kunou-free days, lately.

"He hates him so much, Akane." Nabiki was still talking. "He wants to get rid of him forever. He wants to never see him again. And he says that....that unless I get rid of Ranma for good, he'll post my pictures on every posting board in school."

"What?" I stared at her in disbelief. "How can he even think we'd let him do something like that?"

"I know, Akane. I don't want Ranma to leave either." She still didn't look at me. "But beating up Kunou isn't going to work this time. He's sealed copies away in places we'll never find them. Unless we kill him…"

"Nabiki!" I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

She pulled her knees up and laid her cheek on them. "I'm sorry, Akane. I know you'd never kill anyone for me. Ranma's case was different of course…"

"Ranma's case?" I asked stupidly.

Nabiki waved a hand carelessly. "You know...Saffron."

Oh, right. I started to feel a bit guilty. If Ranma had worked so hard to protect me, then couldn't I do the same for my sister?

"I'll never let blood stain your hands, Akane," Nabiki vowed, which made me feel even guiltier with relief. I knew I had a soft corner for my sisters. Nabiki liked to take advantage of that. But I believed that this time, someone had gotten past her defenses. Someone had helped Kunou. There was no way he'd decided to blackmail Nabiki on his own.

"When I get those photos, I'm going to find those boys!" Nabiki said softly. Her eyes had taken on a slightly manic gleam and her fists were clenched hard in her lap. She was staring straight ahead. "I'm going to make their daddies pay through the nose for what they did to me!"

I started to wonder…had she…was it possible she had had this in mind all along?

No! I couldn't even entertain the idea. I felt guilty immediately.

"I'll throttle every one of those locations out of Kunou myself, Nabiki!" The guilt and relief made me even more fervent in my promises.

Nabiki was shaking her head. "Akane, you know how much punishment Kunou can take. And as much as he hates Ranma and 'the pig-tailed girl' now, he'll never give in."

I comforted her as best as I could, and ran off to the Kunou mansion. I'd nearly forgotten my anger at Ranma, but I wanted to handle this by myself. I knew I could do it.

The Kunou mansion was large and the grounds were set with all sorts of odd traps. However, it was fairly safe to simply walk up the front path and bang the knocker.

The door opened slightly, and Sasuke peered out. Seeing that it was me, he ushered me in, his little squirrel face twitching with worry.

"Ok, Sasuke, where's Kunou?" I asked, my fists clenched tightly.

"I'm right here, my traitorous goddess," came a voice from the shadowed hallway, and I spun to see Kunou regarding me calmly, with the flat of his sword resting against his shoulder.

"Kunou, how dare you threaten my sister?" I took a second to reflect that I sounded remarkably like he did sometimes, and ran forward to attack him.

"Finding out that my 'pig-tailed girl' is truly Ranma Saotome, that she is not just under his spell, has created an aversion in me for the sisters Tendo, and an even greater aversion for the name Saotome," Kunou replied as he blocked my punches and kicks. "I would never have believed you could be soiled in my sight, Akane Tendo, but to know that you have been *mocking* me, you and your sister…." Rage glowed in his eyes, anger that someone ELSE had put there, I knew it as well as I knew my own name.

"Who gave you the photos, Kunou?" I asked. "Who helped you?"

"If you really want to know," he said, "you must defeat me. It is passing strange that my tender feelings toward you persist despite my grief at your betrayal. 'Tis a strange conundrum but I have accepted it."

I'd gotten so used to punting him into the distance that I'd forgotten how good he was in a serious fight, how persistent he could be. His sword became a blur and he danced around me, getting in blows that hurt but did not disable. I screamed with fury and renewed my attacks. No way was I going to lose to Kunou!

The door burst open and Nabiki ran in, screaming at us. I was distracted for a single second and felt a painful jab in my ribs that sent me to the floor.

"No, Kunou! Don't hurt my sister!" Nabiki ran forward, tears running down her face. I had a moment to think that it was rare to see tears in her eyes unless she was tricking Ranma for something...so rare to see it for real...The marble tiles were cool under me.

Kunou backhanded Nabiki, sent her flying to land in a heap alongside me.

"I want to see...Ranma Saotome...gone!" he screamed. "And then you, Akane Tendo, will be mine forever!"

"Ow..." I hurt all over, but I wasn't going to give Kunou the satisfaction of winning.

He walked up to us, swinging his sword like a cane. Reaching down, he grabbed the front of Nabiki's uniform and lifted her until the tips of her black shoes hung well above the floor. He shook her with one hand, which was the first thing that actually scared me because I'd never seen him display such strength.

"Akane Tendo, I am going to ruin your sister here until she can never hold up her head in public again! How would you like strange men knowing every...*every* detail of your sister's body before they ever even saw her in person? How would your father feel? None of your sisters will ever feel the bliss of marriage!"

I started to shake. Could he really do that? If the photos were that bad....

"I've never seen these supposed photos, Kunou!" I didn't think Nabiki would have fallen for empty threats but at that point, I couldn't see any solutions. Beating the pictures out of Kunou had seemed a lot easier a while ago.

Oh, Ranma, if only you'd come home with me. The thought fluttered through my mind briefly, but I was still mad enough at him that my pride choked on asking him for help.

Something fluttered into my line of vision, and I grabbed it. At first my mind couldn't make sense of what it was seeing. My eyes followed a long curved line of flesh, and suddenly, the picture in its entirety hit me. Pale, curved lines…Nabiki's body, her eyes closed and a very odd expression on her face. Was this what people having sex really looked like? The smooth skin of her body contrasted against an obviously male one. I squinted at it, trying to figure out who the guy was. His face was hidden in Nabiki's breasts. These pictures were nothing like the innocently sexy pictures of girl-Ranma that Kunou hoarded. I wanted to throw up.

Nabiki was crying again. I glared at her.

"Nabiki! How could you?"

Sobs wracked her body."I'm sorry, Akane, I just got used to seeing all those princes after you all the time. I guess I just wanted to see what it might be like to be swept away…."

Damn. She'd envied me? What a cruel twist of fate that the one time she'd tried to be 'swept away, someone had taken advantage of her. I was starting to see her point of always keeping your guard up.

"Didn't anyone else see you?" I asked.

Nabiki shook her head. "We were in a bedroom. The party was going on outside...The guys in the room, I've taken care of them, but.." Her voice faded.

Staring at the photo, I knew that if the others were anything like this one, there was no way I could let anyone see them. I didn't even see how Ranma could deal with a situation that didn't use brawn.

What could he possibly do to Kunou if even Nabiki, my smart and savvy sister, said she couldn't deal with it? My head spun.

"What do you want from us?" I asked.

Kunou's eyes burned with feverish hatred. When I heard what he wanted, I almost DID throw up.

"Impossible! There's no way I'm getting into bed with you!" I yelled.

"It won't be for real, my sweet Akane," Kunou said. Something was wrong here, but I was too distraught to put my finger on it. He continued, "We just have to LOOK like we've been caught in the act. Nothing will happen….this time." He lazily waved a few more photos at me. I gritted my teeth. I was all out of ideas. And I just couldn't bring myself to trust Ranma over something this intimate, this delicate.

I'm sorry, Ranma, I thought to myself. I don't want you to go, but...I have to do this.

"Fine! But..."I softened my voice slightly. "But I won't date you until you return all of Nabiki's pictures and the negatives to me. What kind of samurai will you be if you force a woman to be with you through blackmail? You don't need that!"

Kunou paused, and a little of his ego leaked back into his eyes. He could never believe I truly found him repulsive.

"Very well," he said. "You have my word. Once Saotome has left for good, I'll return all the photos to you, _with_ the promise that you'll never contact him again. And then I will woo you, fair Akane, my tender betrayer."

My heart felt like it wanted to drop to my shoes. I nodded heavily.

And that was why Ranma found us in bed together when he came to my room, both of us sweaty from our battle, carefully hiding our bruises. The bare skin of my shoulders showed bove the covers, My tube top remained hidden, as did my roiling emotions.

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Notes: ….


	6. Chastity

Notes: Yo! First of all, you guys should know I altered Ch 5 slightly, since it was felt that it was too OOC. :D Which was true…

Anyways, some *warnings* about this chapter.

Firstly, it's unfinished as my pre-readers(yes, I have pre-readers now! They're so cool!) haven't had a chance to go through it yet.

Secondly, it's a LEMON.

Thirdly, still a cliffhanger. I *honestly* don't know how this happened… o_O

Well, that's it I think…

Onwards….

***************************************************************

My mind flashed on scenes from the past, trying to decide what to tell Ranma. I'd been dreading this moment since I'd seen him at that club, but I owed him an explanation. But why would he believe me? He was so angry.

The silence was growing thick with unsaid things. Ranma abruptly pulled notes from his wallet, stood up and left. I watched him go. I signaled the waiter and then walked after him. I caught up with him when he had reached the beach and had walked past the little snack stands to the rock outcroppings where the wind was stronger.

"Ranma..."I called. Reaching him, I put out my hand to touch his shoulder, but he wheeled and grabbed my wrist, and imprisoned me between his body and the rock.

"Tell me that you never slept with him, Akane," he growled, hurt and suppressed fury emanating from him. "Lie to me."

I gulped. He'd destroyed any chance of anything I said sounding believable. He stared at me for another frozen second. Then his hands loosened, slid away, and I was free. I was shivering uncontrollably. Watching him stride away, I came to a decision. Something had to be done.

************************************************************

Ranma was watching the ocean from the window when I finally entered the room.

"You're still here," I breathed. I was certain he'd left.

"I'm on a job," he said, his shoulder stiff, his voice remote. "I don't just leave."

I stared at him for another second wordlessly. I turned and escaped into the bathroom. I needed a hot bath badly. Shedding my clothes, I turned the hot water tap on. Sitting in the furo, letting the steam caress my face, I thought over my options. They seemed very few. Finally, I was done. I stood and wrapped myself in the plain bath kimono provided by the hotel.

I looked at the fogged mirror, and then swiped a hand across the surface, clearing a silver arc that revealed my distressed gaze. I toweled my hair briefly, staring into the fogged mirror, and noting the way the thin kimono clung to my damp skin.

Opening the door, I stepped out into the cooler air. Ranma still stood at the window, his hands in his pockets, brooding. He turned to stare at me and halted. His gaze swept me from damp hair to bare feet, and he looked like he was gritting his teeth.

"Akane, in that kimono….do you know what you're asking for?"

"Ranma..."_ I've never been with anybody else_, I wanted to say. But I'd just be wasting my breath. I untied the kimono and let it fall.

Ranma's grey eyes turned to the colour of gunsmokef, hiding his irises and his thoughts. He stood still for a moment. Then he began to walk towards me as though in a trance. His hands came up to clasp my shoulders and he pulled me up against him. His hand came up to cup my head ruthlessly, holding it immobile as his head bent and he kissed me.

My hands had come up automatically to push at him, but I relaxed them and my arms slid around Ranma of their own accord. His mouth was devouring mine as though he would never get enough. His other hand slid up my ribcage and clamped over my breast. I gasped and arched, my head flying back. He kissed his way down the column of my throat and let his teeth grate lightly against my collarbone. It made me wince, and I suspect, it was meant to.

"Akane..." he murmured, laying a necklace of kisses against my throat.

With every kiss, things low in my body tightened and released. The feel of his mouth against my skin made my breath catch. My heart was pounding and I was shaking like a leaf. Ranma didn't seem to notice. Or care.

He picked me up in his arms and stalked to the bed. He placed me on it almost tenderly, but his eyes were molten silver as they raked me from head to foot.

"I've dreamed of this a thousand times, Akane," he growled. "My one regret over leaving is that I didn't stop for a taste of what Kunou got."

I blinked at him in momentary confusion. My mind was drowning in Ranma. I didn't want to think about Kunou right now. But that's why I was doing this, wasn't I? He was at the root of Ranma's hatred. And Ranma deserved this. Though I was lying if I told myself it was all for him. It may have started out that way, but...

Ranma crawled onto the bed, the blue silk shirt pulling taut over muscles moving like a stalking panther. He moved over me and bent his head to kiss me again. His mouth was melting me, his hands warm against my bare skin. He sat up. I didn't know what to do with my hands, and I wasn't used to being naked in front of a guy so I discreetly placed my fists over my breasts and peeked up at Ranma to see what was coming next.

He was staring at me like he'd memorize every dip and curve of my body. He looked up at me but I couldn't stand his gaze and let my lashes sweep down in concealment.

Suddenly, Ranma reached down and pulled off his shirt. I couldn't resist a peek. His shoulders had broadened out and his chest had widened and sleek, powerful muscles were sheathed by smooth, pale skin that glowed like white marble.

Before I could speak, Ranma hands clamped my wrists and pulled my fists away, leaving me open to his gaze. Somehow being held down made me feel a lot more naked than taking my robe off.

"Can't call you flat-chested anymore, can I?" he mused. The dark head dipped down and fastened over my breast, and he began to suck. I thought I had been struck by lightning. It felt like quicksilver ran in lines from his mouth to parts inside me I hadn't known existed. I cried out and tried to twist away from him. The feeling was unbearably powerful and every atom in my body was suddenly sensitized beyond bearing.

Ranma only sucked harder in response. I screamed. I couldn't help it. His head came up and regarded me through narrowed eyes. For a moment I was frightened. Ranma looked as though he wanted to eat me from the inside out and only the barest shred of control was keeping him leashed.

"Akane." His voice sounded low and hoarse, and his fingers tightened on my arm to the point of pain, though in my newly throbbing state, even that felt pleasurable.

"Ranma?" I sounded soft and hesitant, but my mouth was too dry to say anything more.

"You're mine, Akane," Ranma growled; "No one's going to take you from me."

He released my arm and propped me against the pillows. He bent his head to suck at my other breast until I was screaming with need. I wasn't that naive. I knew what I wanted, and my hand slipped into his jeans to curl around him. My eyes widened. He felt so big and hot and hard. Ranma's head came up and he gasped something in Chinese.

He looked up at me and smiled a twisted smile. He held me in place with his torso and slid his hand up my leg, brushing the soft skin of my inner thigh and dipping a finger into me. I gasped.

He smiled again. "You're so wet." His finger moved. "Ah, you like that." He added another finger. My body writhed against the hotel's cotton sheets and Ranma watched as though he could burn my image into his brain.

He sat up. "This might hurt a bit, tomboy." He worked his zipper, eased down his jeans and slid inside me seemingly in one motion. I gasped and arched until my spine was bent like a bow. He felt huge and hot inside me, and as he slid in deeper it began to hurt.

Of course, these days you only had to worry about breaking and entering if you were a sheltered young princess somewhere. Every girl led way too vigorous a life for that. But being a virgin still meant using muscles you'd never used before and it felt damn sore.

I had never had a man before but I still hadn't expected to be so tight. Finally, he was sheathed in me, and we both exhaled. Ranma began to rain soft little kisses on my cheek that made me clutch him. Then he was moving inside me, and although I was still sore it began to feel unbelievably good. There was an immense feeling of completion and I was suddenly stretching towards something I knew was there and coming closer. I strained for it and suddenly a supernova hit me and I burst into a million pieces.

And in the midst of that, my reeling mind managed a coherent thought...did he say?...and then all went black.

---------------------------------------------

"Tomboy, wake up."

Fuzziness. Soft, blurred light. Hands caressing my breasts. My semi-conscious body slid into auto programming and a fist shot out to clock a male where males usually feared to read.

A large, warm hand caught my wrist. I opened my eyes. Ranma was smiling down at me. I blinked.

"Oh." Oh, my. It certainly warranted Kasumi's exclaimation. Everything came back to me. And I was unbelievably sore.

"Uncute as ever, eh, Akane?" I looked up at Ranma, and tried to hide the raw vulnerability in my eyes. I must have failed, because his eyes grew tender and he tucked me into his arms.

"Was I...was it..."I swallowed. "Was it that bad, Ranma?"

Ranma frowned. "What? No!" He sat up and pulled me into his lap. My arms went around him and he smiled.

"I was referring to your attempt to flatten me just now." He brushed back the hair from my face. "Akane, you were beautiful. You were incredible." He looked away. "All those times I imagined it were like shadows compared to that."

Suddenly, I remembered. "You said..." His silver eyes swung back. I faltered. "You said...."

"Yeah?"

"Ranma, you said...it would hurt." I couldn't look at him. In the silence I could hear the clock, ticking quietly. Ranma sighed.

"I realized you were a virgin halfway through, Akane. It didn't stop me, I'm afraid. At that point, nothing on earth could have stopped me from having you." He gave me an intent look. "And if anything had, I would have moved heaven and earth till I finished what I started."

I blushed. "But...how did you know?"

" It was obvious." I looked up and his eyes were gray and serious. "You didn't act like a girl who's been with a guy before. Your reactions were so..." He shook his head and clenched a fist in the sheets. "And you were blushing until I thought your hair would catch fire. You didn't know what to do with your hands. It's...well, it was obvious to me."

"And how do you know so much?" I asked, glaring.

He smiled. "After I left you, I went a bit mad. I figured, if you'd been screwing around, why should I miss out? So, I made up for what I thought was the lack." I couldn't say anything. I could hardly blame him. We'd never thought we'd see each other again.

"I calmed down eventually, though. I've been celibate for years."

I shoved at his chest."What, you?"

He caught my hands, laughing. "Yes, me. Why are you so surprised? If you could, why couldn't I?" We sobered at that.

"So, tell me," he said calmly, staring down at me. "Why did my eyes deceive me then?"

I told him.

******************************************************************

Notes: Sigh. Because I'm spending a Friday night at home, I'm feeling freaky and posted this. Go figure. :)


	7. Shadow of the Ninja

Minor corrections to chapter 7- thanks to Dark Horse  
  
*****************************************************************  
  
"Akane..." Ranma shook his head. His eyes held that shuttered look again. He sat up and was about to say something when the phone rang.  
  
I ignored it. I'd been waiting to hear Ranma's take on my sordid little story for so many years that one phone call wasn't going to make me wait any longer. Ranma was staring at me. The phone continued to ring. It stopped halfway through the third ring. The receptionist must have picked it up, I thought, all my attention focused on Ranma.  
  
"I think..." he began, and suddenly a great invisible force like a giant hand simply pushed me off the bed. I fell on my butt, the sheets wrapped around me. A loud explosion rattled my ears, and debris and bits of ceiling fell down on me. I was scrambling for the side of the bed, for my gun and my bag, before it even stopped.  
  
"Akane! Are you all right?" Ranma shouted. I barely heard him over the dust and noise and my ringing ears. Where was he? What had happened?  
  
A bomb! I swore to myself in shocked realization. Someone had bombed us? THAT had never happened to me before. Had the telephone triggered it? I crawled on my stomach and elbows to the outer wall of our room.  
  
A blast of warm tropical air hit my skin, making goose pimples rise in a rush. With automatic modesty, I clutched the silk sheet to my chest while scooping up my gun in the other. The bag was also a priority, however, so I finally dropped the sheet. Modesty be damned.  
  
Ranma had crawled up behind me and was now trying to push me behind him. I fought him only briefly. I'd peeked outside the huge gaping fifteen feet wide hole in our wall and all I could make out were a lot of gaping tourists and shopkeepers.  
  
Leaving my hero to scan for any further danger, I crawled to the wardrobe and pulled on shorts and a t-shirt in record time. I gathered our money and papers, watching as Ranma, finally deciding it was safe enough, followed my lead and began to cover up. Shame, I thought to myself.  
  
There was some frantic knocking on the door. The concierge was calling out in English as well as Chinese, checking to see if anyone was still alive. I snorted in amusement. How polite of him to knock. Any second though, the police would burst their way through the door like it was matchsticks, and then my bodyguard and I would have some fancy dancing around to do.  
  
Ranma apparently was thinking along the same lines, because as soon as we pulled on sneakers, he tucked his gun away and yanked the door open, sending the concierge sprawling into the room.  
  
"Thanks for the hospitality," Ranma said hurriedly in Chinese. "The food was great."  
  
He stepped out and I was quick to follow. Out in the hallway, the concierge's assistant stood wringing his hands.  
  
"We'll be leaving now," Ranma declared.  
  
The assistant bowed-a quick, nervous dip. "Thank you. Come again. Thank you." His eyes were wide and scared.  
  
Ranma grinned and set off down the hallway. Puzzled, I followed him, cursing at my untied shoelaces.  
  
"Ranma! Where are we going?" I hissed, mindful of the other tourists in the hallway, some peering sleepily out of their doorways, most in bright floral nightwear. "The entrance is the OTHER way!"  
  
"Where they'll no doubt be watching for us, Akane you baka," he replied, without bothering to look back. His eyes were scanning the doors we passed. "Here we are!"  
  
We were at the kitchens. Oh. Delivery door. I flushed. Ranma ignored the startled cries of the chefs and led us to the swinging doorway. He carefully scanned the area and finally beckoned me over. We stepped out into the night air with our guns raised, safeties off.  
  
We were in a smelly alley, stinking of fish and curry and other scents I did not want to identify. Footsteps clattered over the tarmac some distance away.  
  
"Someone's coming!" Ranma whispered. "This way." He put up his gun and began to climb a rusty fire escape set into the grimy brick wall. After the third rung, the ladder gave way almost silently, sliding down the wall. Ranma landed on the balls of his feet, clutching the section of ladder without allowing it to clang on the ground or against the nearby wall. He propped it against a dumpster.  
  
The sound of footsteps was growing louder.  
  
"Nothing for it!" Ranma muttered and walked towards me. Before I realized what he was going to do, he had scooped me into his arms and was running towards the dumpster. I gasped as he jumped, landed on one foot on the dumpster and leapt off it again to soar five feet, fourty feet, higher and higher, and over the edge of the rooftop. He landed smoothly on both feet, though I could hear his heart beating faster.  
  
The jump had me awash in memories, but this was not the time to indulge. Ranma set me upright and I ran to the edge to peer over the stone lip of the roof. Four men in black clothing were scurrying around vainly searching for something or someone.  
  
"Time to make a move, Ranma," I said.  
  
"We'll have to jump across roofs," Ranma said. "Want a lift?"  
  
In response, I gave him a cheeky grin, turned and began to run towards the opposite end of the roof. I could see the vague outline of the other building. I arced over the space between the buildings easily, and ran for the next one, hearing Ranma behind me. Together, we crossed ten blocks before Ranma signaled a stop.  
  
"This is enough for now," he said, panting slightly. "You've improved some."  
  
I was grinning widely. My blood was pounding from the workout and I was high on adrenaline and confidence.  
  
"I've been practicing, you know, Ran...." I stuttered to a stop. A shadow had risen from the shadows of the pipes that wreathed the rooftop of this particular building.  
  
"Thank you for stopping," the figure hissed in a sibilant whisper. " I was getting bored of chasing you around the city."  
  
"Your goons didn't keep up," Ranma said, frowning.  
  
"True. You knew I was there," the figure said thoughtfully. Ranma shrugged.  
  
"You know what I want." It was a ninja, I realized.  
  
Ranma simply took up a fighting stance. The ninja shook his head.  
  
"If that's how you want it to be..."  
  
"Akane, look out!" Ranma yelled. A net came out of nowhere and slammed into me. Ranma had his hands busy with the ninja now, and I was struggling to reach my gun. Another ninja attacked me and tried to crawl down my blouse. I kicked him and rolled backwards, trying to free myself.  
  
Then, Ranma was there, pulling the net off me.  
  
"What happened?" I gasped.  
  
"They left," Ranma said grimly. "Are you ok?"  
  
"I...I'm fine," I murmured, wishing I could have saved him for a change. I fumbled in my bag, and then froze. I looked up with dread clawing at my belly.  
  
"Ranma....the diamond is gone."  
  
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Woohoo! A whole chapter done. Please review!! At least I'll know someone is still reading this!!! : D 


	8. Interlude

Darkness settled over us like a groping hand, warm and clammy. I sat on the cool concrete of the roof, leaning back against a wall, my legs slightly spread, knees bent. I gazed tiredly at my gun dangling between my knees from one hand  
  
"I don't think I can ever forgive you, Akane." Ranma's voice speared out of the velvet gloom like an icy harpoon aimed at my center.  
  
The muscles of my heart clenched, then expanded, forcing blood to the extremities of my body, yet every part of me felt numb.  
  
Ranma's voice continued to emerge from the long shadow against the opposite wall, terse and clipped.  
  
"Can you tell me anytime when I wasn't there for you?" he demanded. "Whether I wanted to be or not?" I could make out his outline now, hunched over and angry. "Huh? Can you name one? Didn't I spend two years just saving your butt from one thing after the other?? And then you thought I couldn't take care of KUNO, for cryin' out loud!"  
  
Ranma unfolded like clumsy origami, in stiff movements. My heart was thudding now, trying to warm my flesh turned to ice. I couldn't hear over the pounding in my ears.  
  
Guilt held me motionless, letting his words beat against me, relishing the misery. The same pride that had made me test Ranma's love again and again stopped my tears from forming, wouldn't allow me relief in even this small way. What do you deserve, I asked myself. The void within me answered with silence.  
  
Finally, he stood in front of me.  
  
"Aren't you going to say anything?" he demanded.  
  
I stared at him mutely. What could I say, really?  
  
"Akane," he gritted out. "Thinking about this right now is driving me crazy, and you need me just a little sane to keep your faithless* hide in one piece." He leapt onto the parapet of the roof, and disappeared again into dimness.  
  
All the arguments I had put together over the years had disappeared in the face of Ranma's fury. Why hadn't I trusted him enough, I asked myself for the millionth time. Too much pride in myself had brought me to this pass, I decided and shivered as regrets resettled on my back like the tattered layers of a well-worn cloak.  
  
Years of practice helped me tamp down the emotions and endlessly cycling thoughts, and I pretended to myself that he wasn't at the other end of the roof, cursing me to the gods. His reaction was actually worse than I'd hoped for, but better than I'd feared.  
  
This is just the first dance between you and me, Ranma, I decided. It was no accident that we had met up again. It had to be fate. I'll make it up to you, Ranma, I vowed. When this is over.......  
  
We'll dance again.  
  
*****  
  
I lay on my back, staring at the stars above me but images from the past obscured their blue light. I was so furious that I wanted to gouge my fingers into the concrete below me and crumble it into gray dust.  
  
Akane still sat against the wall at the far end, but I could hear her breathing and she was asleep. I couldn't believe it. How could she sleep after I'd ranted and raved like a madman? I'd wanted to shake her so badly, grip her until my fingers left bruises on her arms. Her explanation had only blown the long dormant embers of my rage to life.  
  
Although most of me had howled at Akane's treachery, I suppose a part of me had hoped that Akane's explanation would be some fantastic, logical thing, like in the movies, where everything fell into place. I snorted in self- mockery. I should have known that of all things, Akane's explanation would turn out to be Akane just.......acting like Akane. Hell bent on proving herself and stubborn as all get out about it.  
  
Then she had raised those large, chocolate eyes to me, and I'd deflated slightly. What was the use? I never wanted to touch her again. I wanted to keep her under lock and key. No, I wanted to.............The embers stirred again, the fire grew hotter, and I flexed my hands, trying to decide between beating her and pulling her up against a wall and reminding her that she was mine in the most elemental way I could devise.  
  
Akane bent her back slightly, and stood up. What was she doing? She stood facing, not me, but a point in the distance. I followed her gaze and looked over my shoulder. All I could see was the shine of the Huangpu River and the skyscrapers clustered thickly.  
  
Akane began to walk towards the parapet, her eyes still trained on something I couldn't see. Her breathing remained steady, which confused me. Obviously, whatever she was looking at wasn't very frightening. What was I missing?  
  
"Akane?" I asked. I stood and began to approach her. "Akane what are you looking at?"  
  
She continued to get closer to the parapet, and I unconsciously speeded up slightly. She had reached the edge now, and the waist high wall had stopped her progress. She raised one slim arm and pointed. Her arm was a pale blurry length in the darkness, and following its line still got me no closer to enlightenment.  
  
She murmured something, and began to climb the parapet. Light from a nearby building bathed her face and I inhaled in surprise. She was still asleep.  
  
"Akane!" I sprinted forward.  
  
She stood perfectly balanced on the wall, her slim, bare legs poised on the balls of her feet, raising her arm to point again. Then she stepped off the edge. I jumped. I scooped her out of mid air, and allowed myself to land on the stone hood of a window, then leapt back up to the wall and onto the roof, Akane still in my arms.  
  
She hadn't screamed. I looked at her, and she was fast asleep, still breathing softly and steadily. Bitterness invaded my thoughts. Akane safe and sound, me wide-eyed and out of breath. Ain't that always the way, I grumped silently.  
  
I ignored the little voice that asked- Would you have it any other way?  
  
*****  
  
I placed Akane on the ground and shook her gently. She came awake instantly, and stared at me with sleepy surprise and then dawning suspicion.  
  
"Akane," I said, " You were sleepwalking."  
  
"What?" she exclaimed. "Ranma, what are you talking about?"  
  
"Were you dreaming just now?" I asked. She nodded slowly. "What did you dream about?"  
  
"The diamond," she said. Her eyes widened, and I could see the exact moment when she remembered it was gone, but then she turned to look at the spot she'd been staring at while asleep. "I dreamt that I was looking for it, and it was........calling me. It.......it.....wanted me to come to it. I......I was getting close....." Akane clutched my shirt. "Ranma! The diamond really is cursed!!"  
  
  
  
  
  
Soooo, you guys are still reading! Thanks lots n' lots for the reviews!! :) I really hate it when a fic stays on the shelf for years and years (ex Tiger's Claw....sob sob, what a cool fic that is....I REALLY want to read another chapter....) Anyways, I do plan on finishing this fic, but having loads of courses this semester, I'm going to try for a max of 1 or 2 chapters every weekend.  
  
Being the weekend now, I had time to upload another chapter...I want to try to make these chapters longer...will try with the next one.  
  
*faithless- used instead of unfaithful to imply that Akane had no faith, as opposed to being unfaithful. 


	9. A Plague of Ninjas

goku90504 asked about the title name of Ch 8 and the timeflow. I named it 'Interlude' cos of the break in the action for a bit. It happens after the hotel. It's the last thing to happen. Hope that clears it up for y'all a bit.  
  
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I started laughing, feeling some of the tension flow out of me with the action. Akane stared at me wide-eyed. I shook my head and moved away from her, leaving her shivering on the cold gray floor.  
  
"Enough with the melodrama, Akane," I said. "Cursed? That diamond ain't cursed any more'n you are. If you're talkin' curses, I've got a greater claim to fame than any ol' itsy-bitsy diamond!"  
  
Akane scowled at me. Good. I scowled back, happy that we were back to the hating. I was so much more comfortable here.  
  
"In fact, if you were itching to jump into my arms again, you didn't have to fake sleepwalking," I grinned and held out my arms in a mock embrace, twitching the ends of my fingers in a come-hither motion.  
  
Akane's fists clenched and I could see her jaw grind slowly. Oh yeah, when it came to hating, I was in the zone.  
  
Surprisingly, Akane didn't let fly with her fist. She had switched her gaze to the ground and was now glaring at the harmless concrete.  
  
"Fine, Ranma," she said at last. "Make all the fun you want. I KNOW where that diamond is. Or at least, I know which way to go to find it. You can stay or you can come. I really don't care." With that, she stood upright and brushed off her shorts. I had to hand it to her; the girl had come a long way in anger management. Had she taken a class or something?  
  
It was deep night now. All around Shanghai city, people were getting into the full swing of the weekend. Most partygoers would be good and drunk by now. Bakers were no doubt up and about; getting their ovens warmed up for the morning sales. It was the time the city guard was at their most watchful as well.  
  
Akane found an old iron door that spiraled downwards. I allowed her to lead the way, running over what had happened in my head. I didn't really believe that the diamond had a curse on it. Stranger things had happened; sure, anyone who knew my life history could tell you that. Things were already weird enough, to my way of thinking. If the diamond really was cursed, things were just gonna get a whole lot stranger.  
  
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Test. Step. Test. Step.  
  
I hadn't been on the stairs long before I realized how flimsy they were. We must be in some old apartment building, I realized. The whole place smelled like dog pee. I brought my sneakered foot down, tested the step and brought the whole weight of my foot down on it. Then I did it again with the next.  
  
Test. Step.  
  
Behind me, Ranma didn't seem to care how moldy the wooden steps might be. He stepped on every step with remarkable assurance. Then again, with me taking point, I supposed he was pretty safe.  
  
Something dripped on the lobe of my ear. I put up a hand and it came away sticky. I turned my head in seeming slow motion to the right. My gaze followed the sparkling tip of a stiletto along its shiny length up to where it was clasped by a dark-gloved hand, and further on where Ranma's hand had caught the wrist in a grip of steel, stopping the hidden ninja from slicing off my ear.  
  
Suddenly, everything speeded up to a blur. I caught the ninja's arm and used it to push off the stair I was standing on, arcing past him and Ranma, ending up crouched on the step behind them, already swiveling with one leg out to meet the oncoming rush of the next ninja. At the same time, Ranma punched the ninja in the face and forced the dark hand inwards, making the bright steel blade disappear into black folds of clothing. Ranma kicked the next ninja in the face, breaking the nose behind the cloth mask, sacrificing a split second that allowed a ninja to slam a palm into him, sending him stumbling. That let him regain his second, as he spun backward and slammed the heel of his foot into the small of the ninja's back. I winced in my own battle as I heard an audible crack.  
  
Getting tired of my opponent, not to mention simply getting tired, I caught his arm and slammed him into the ground, driving a kick to his head that knocked him out good. Yup. That old 'hammer girl' strength was still there.  
  
Breathing a little hard, Ranma and I stared at each other.  
  
"Did you know they were there?" I asked, remembering the car incident on the way from the airport. Ranma shook his head. Well, ninjas hid their aura better than anybody, I knew.  
  
"The first one forgot to dull his blade, else you'd be missing an ear now, Akane," he said. "We'd better get out of here. I don't wanna spend all night fendin' off these guys. Let's go." I nodded in heartfelt agreement.  
  
Outside, we barely paused to inhale the cool night air. The night had eyes, and they were all trained on us. Not to mention we had absolutely no luggage. I needed some replacement cartridges for my gun. I was really getting angry.  
  
"Dammit, Ranma, I'm getting tired of being chased around from place to place all night," I hissed. "It's been one thing after the other ever since we got here!"  
  
Ranma nodded. "We need a place to stop for a while."  
  
"I know somebody," I said. "The same guy we were going to see before."  
  
Ranma bowed and motioned me onwards like an Indian maharajah. "Lead on."  
  
A soft drizzle began as we made our way past the older apartments and moved up the city toward the docks. We pulled up the hoods of our parkas. Ranma looked around with interest as I led him through areas that were getting shabbier with every step. Though I was careful making sure we had no one following us, I couldn't help pondering the evening's events.  
  
"Who WAS that masked man?" I wondered out loud.  
  
"In fact, who were ALL those masked guys?" Ranma added. "You don't even know who wants the diamond, do you?"  
  
I realized with chagrin that that was true. I hadn't a clue whose goons I'd been fighting. That made me more than a little ticked off. Thinking about Ranma and keeping myself alive had been keeping me busy. Time to focus, I told myself.  
  
Finally, when we stopped in front of a shop with a tattered sign over the door, Ranma laughed softly.  
  
"What's so funny?" I demanded. Ranma simply shook his head, and before I could demand and answer, a slim Chinese youth had opened the door.  
  
"Hello, Yoshi. Is Mr. Yoro in?" I asked, pulling back my hood so he could see my face. "We're seeking shelter."  
  
Yoshi nodded at me and let us in, smiling. He left to inform Yoro, I guessed, because a few minutes later, my old acquaintance had shuffled out of the back of the store and was greeting me warmly.  
  
"Miss Akane, how pleasant to see you after so long. Welcome, welcome to......." At this point he caught sight of Ranma and let out a screech of high velocity. He dropped my hand like it was a hotcake and began walking backwards.  
  
"You!" He cried, his spindly index finger pointing at Ranma, who had pulled his hood back and was now regarding him with smiling eyes.  
  
"Hello, Mr. Yoro," he drawled. "How do you do?"  
  
"You're dead!" Mr. Yoro shrieked. "I saw you die!" He scuttled even further backwards and sent me a wild glance. "Miss Akane, how could you bring this monster into my house......ack!"  
  
Ranma had seized the old man by the throat and held him high enough that Mr. Yoro's old slippers barely made contact with the ground.  
  
"Ranma!" I yelled, marching forward and trying to shake his grip off the old man. "What in the world are you doing? What's going on?"  
  
"It was all a mistake," the old man croaked.  
  
"He tried to sell...Ranko...to a brothel," Ranma growled. "He drugged her and she woke up in a cheap room being mauled by some ugly drunk."  
  
I gasped. Ranko....that was, Ranma...had been sold into sexual slavery? By Mr. Yoro? Impossible. The old man had been my contact for a few years now. I couldn't believe him capable of something like that.  
  
"Was......my......son, Toshi," Mr. Yoro choked out. I pulled on Ranma's arm with all my strength.  
  
"Ranma! I swear it wasn't him," I yelled in his ear. "Ranma, I've known him for YEARS! Please, let go. You're killing him!"  
  
Finally, Ranma's grip loosened and Mr. Yoro fell gasping to the ground.  
  
"Yes, I remember your son, old man," Ranma said. "Where is he?"  
  
"In jail," the old man cried. "I'm sorry......for your friend's death.......but my son is......now in jail.......won't trouble you."  
  
"Good," Ranma said viciously. "Hope he rots there."  
  
I helped Mr. Yoro up. "Mr. Yoro. I'm really sorry about that. But we need your help." I moved him to a chair and called for Yoshi to bring some tea. Ranma paced farther away like some angry cat.  
  
A hot cup of tea later, Mr. Yoro smiled shakily at me and said, "Please accept my apologies, Miss Akane. I would never have condoned my son's activities if I'd known of them. I know it is little enough for your friend's loss, but I shall help you both the best I can."  
  
"It's all right, Mr. Yoro. He's a very old friend. I wouldn't have brought him here if I had known it would set him off like that."  
  
"Toshi hurt many people. "Mr. Yoro hung his head. "Many among them were women."  
  
I patted his shoulder with awkward comfort. Ours had always been a business relationship. I hadn't even known he had a son. Eventually, Mr. Yoro went off with a list that Ranma and I had jotted down together.  
  
Ranma refused to bed down there so we left, promising to come back the next morning to retrieve the things on our list.  
  
"What in the world happened to you here in Shanghai, Ranma?" I asked. He flinched.  
  
"Long story," he said. "What now, Akane?"  
  
"Now, we wait."  
  
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And so do all of you, I guess if you're still reading. Thanks thanks thanks for all the reviews! You know I only write for you guys! :D As promised, here's the weekend and here's the update. I tried to make it a little longer. Hopefully, the next chapter, the plot should move quite a bit faster.  
  
Hey, does anyone know how to italicize when posting here? 


	10. Entree

Hey everyone! I made my weekend update a bit early!! Weeell, hope you don't mind!! ;) Please let me know what you think. I'm so happy I got to make this a long chapter, like I wanted. ****************************  
  
The next morning found Ranma and me holed up in a ratty little motel room, a far cry from our five-star hotel of the previous night. We'd taken one look at the bug-infested mattress and curled up in separate blankets.  
  
I blinked as the bright sun hit my face through the dirty wooden slats of the room's tiny window. Bits and pieces of dreams still clung to me, images of a slim, laughing woman with long, dark bejewelled hair, dressed in diaphanous robes, being chased down a marble hallway by a bearded man who was obviously her lover.  
  
I sat up, feeling incredibly grimy. The first thing I reached for was my gun. The cool comfort of steel in my hand was immensely reassuring. I straightened my spine, sat cross-legged, placed my hands palms upwards on my knees and took in a deeep breath, expanding my lungs to their fullest. The cobwebs began to fall away.  
  
Getting to my feet, I glanced at Ranma, who was only a curled-up wooly blanket ball on the floor. I walked to the tiny bathroom and turned the rusty faucet, filling the cracked plastic bucket for a quick shower. The cool water refreshed me immensely and even having to put my dirty shorts and parka back on didn't faze me much.  
  
Back in the room, Ranma was doing stretches. He looked up when I came in, his face betraying nothing but businesslike concetration. I had felt him withdraw from me last night, in the rain, as though he were afraid he would spill his secrets to me in some unguarded moment. And that was exactly what was going to happen, if I had my way.  
  
"Good morning, Ranma," I half-sang, humming as I passed him. He stared at me curiously.  
  
"You're in a mighty good mood for someone who ain't got nothin' but the clothes on her back," he said.  
  
"That's about to change," I said, "If you get your ass in gear and we head over to Mr. Yoro's shop."  
  
At the shop, we found the front doors firmly locked. A woman at a neighbouring shop came out when she saw us and handed us a suitcase.  
  
"Mr. Yoro asked me to pass this on to you," she told us in Chinese. "He was regrettably called away."  
  
"Oh, really?" Ranma drawled. "My guess is Mr. Yoro ain't gonna show up here any time soon." I frowned. I really had to get to the bottom of this, but so many other things clamoured for priority. My deadline to find Blaine was getting ever closer and a lot of people were paying to see that that didn't happen.  
  
Back at the motel, we opened the suitcase and I smiled. Even Ranma let out a grunt of satisfaction as he pulled out replacement clothes for himself. Mr. Yoro had found us an odd assortment of clothes. Ranma recieved a casual Chinese outfit, a black silk tunic and matching trousers. I got black denim shorts and a shirt t-shirt that said Sex Police: Up Against the Wall and Spread 'Em!  
  
Ranma laughed. "Women in authority do turn me on!" I scowled at him and pulled out another short black t-shirt.  
  
"Since when?" I asked. "You always like to be the one who's in control!" I blushed when I heard myself.  
  
Ranma got an odd light in his eyes, and he began to walk towards me. I suddenly got the feeling that the room was a lot smaller than I'd thought. Ranma reached me and prowled around me in a half circle. I began to feel like something edible, and the thought made me blush even harder.  
  
Ranma leaned in and nuzzled the soft skin beneath my jawbone, placing his hands lightly on my shoulders. I could feel myself trembling.  
  
"With you, yes," he whispered. "I've gotta be in control." His warm lips ran the length of my jawline, teasing. His palms were warm on my shoulders. "If you want it any other way, you'll have to work to convince me, Akane."  
  
He smiled and stepped back, leaving the path to the bathroom free. I grabbed my clothes and ran in. Forcing myself to concentrate on dressing, I found the t-shirt only skimmed my midriff, though the shorts fit fine. Eventually, my breathing was back to normal, simply by virtue of refusing to think about any of it.  
  
Ranma had dressed in the time I'd been in the bathroom. Pulling a holster for my gun out of the suitcase, I strapped it on and sighed in satisfaction. Now, I felt complete. I scavenged a long white shirt to wear over the holster, completing the ensemble.  
  
Packing the rest of the things into two small duffel bags that Mr. Yoro had provided us, we departed from the motel with almost lighter hearts.  
  
It wasn't very hard to rent a jeep with my fake ID and before long, we were on our way.  
  
"And where are we going?" Ranma asked me from the passenger seat. I was driving. He said he was happy to have his hands and eyes free to do his bodyguarding duty. I watched the crowded streets, focusing on the feeling I'd been having.  
  
"The diamond is calling me," I said. "I can feel it tugging at me."  
  
"Diamonds call to pretty girls," Ranma agreed. "It's an age old attraction, that's for sure." I glared at him. Then I inhaled, letting the air fill my lungs again, soothing my temper. I could hear my teeth grinding.  
  
"What happened with Toshi Yoro? How did you end up in his brothel?" I asked. Ranma clammed up. Good.  
  
I let him stay quiet and followed the winding streets instinctively, until slowly we were fully downtown and the lanes had broadened, and cars were zooming past pretty fast. Where had they taken the diamond, I wondered. We were getting into the richer parts of the city now. I could see the buildings getter posher, the cars getting more and more expensive. Damn, I always worked to fit into my environment. My shorts weren't going to cut it here for long.  
  
"Here we are," I said, turning my head to stare up at the tall, tall building of steel and glass that loomed to my left. Tall exotic potted palms flanked wide red-carpeted marble stairs that led up to where a doorman in a resplendent uniform stood, his back straight as an arrow, obviously guarding the entrance.  
  
"The Plaza Stars Hotel," Ranma read the gold-plated plaque as we cruised by. "THIS is the place? You picked one of the poshest hotels in Shanghai out of the millions of buildings in this city?"  
  
I turned the jeep around into a side street and parked, watching the entrance then running my eyes in a practiced sweep over the hotel environs. I read the hotel plaque carefully.  
  
"How are we even going to set foot in the front door, Akane?" Ranma asked with exasperation in his voice. "They obviously expect suits. We'd stick out like sore thumbs."  
  
I scanned the hotel again, then the street. A van of laughing people with a logo on the side caught my eye.  
  
"I'm just about to tell you," I said.  
  
********  
  
The bar of the Plaza Stars Hotel was hosting a party that evening for a very important gentleman. The rich and influential creme de la creme of Shanghai rubbed shoulders with men and women who were of shadowy origin yet held many of the reins of power in the city.  
  
"Ah, welcome, Mr. Ashish," said an elegant Chinese gentleman in an expensive silk suit, moving forward with his hands outstretched. "As the guest of honor, you are doubly welcome. Come, come," he said, motioning to the tall, slim Indian man he was addressing. "Let's find you some refreshments."  
  
"Thank you for inviting me, Mr. Zhang," the man responded in a crisp, Oxford-educated voice. "I'm pleased to be here, and I'm awaiting the unveiling of your great surprise."  
  
Zhang laughed coyly. "Ah there are a great many amusements to sample before that, my friend."  
  
The Indian started as he felt a soft hand at his elbow. He turned to see a stunning Chinese girl in a slinky gown with a high slit up the side smiling at him, offering him a glass of wine. He thanked her and took the glass. She stayed at his side.  
  
"This is Puu," Zhang said. "She is most pleased to be your......escort for the evening." Ashish smiled at Puu, patting her hand softly.  
  
A tall young man came to talk briefly with Zhang. Zhang introduced him to Ashish.  
  
"This is Shekuto. He's my secretary. Don't know what I would do without him." Shekuto bowed briefly.  
  
"I hope you are enjoying your stay in China, Mr. Ashish," he said in soft tones.  
  
"Certainly, certainly!" Ashish grinned. "I hope you are, too."  
  
Shekuto looked startled. "Not many can tell that I am not from China, Mr. Ashish." Ashish grinned widely, obviously pleased by his feat. " I spent some little time in Japan, Mr Shekuto. I found it very entertaining."  
  
"And if I'm not mistaken, some furthur diversion is about to begin." Zhang motioned towards the stage set in one wall of the bar, where the curtains were drawing open to reveal a darkened interior.  
  
The guests hushed, and turned to see this new entertainment. Slowly, rays of colored light illuminated dazzling statues standing alone in a circle of darkness. The statues slowly came to life, spreading their arms outwards, as music suddenly began to pound through hidden speakers.  
  
The dancers, as they now obviously were, broke out of their stasis and began to stalk towards the front of the stage, leaping and whirling as they did so. At the centre of the stage, a last ray of light illuminated a girl in a diaphanous white, sparkling gown, modest in its length and drapery. The girl sat demurely on the ground, arms folded about herself. As the music changed, she raised her face and stood, flinging out her arms and whirling in a complex dance step. Her white gown spread out to reveal that it was actually slashed quite cunningly to let the watchers glimpse the girl's slim, athletic body clad in a silver bodysuit. The audience cheered and clapped as the girl began to sing.  
  
"Wah wah!" Ashish laughed and clapped his hands as well. "You do put on a great show, Mr. Zhang!"  
  
Zhang smiled and gave a shallow bow.  
  
The girl had been belting out a love song, moving through intricate dance steps as she did so. A lone male dancer appeared from the crowd of accompanying dancers. He grabbed the girl and pulled her through a series of dizzying dance moves that left many of the ladies in the audience feeling flushed and eyeing the muscular young dancer closely, wondering what it would feel like to be in his arms.  
  
Ashish watched spellbound. "It's rare to see such a great performance even in my country, my dear Zhang," he said admiringly, all the while stroking his escort's bare arm absentmindedly. "I'm afraid I don't know how the rest of the evening can top this." He leered slightly at Puu, who smiled invitingly and caressed his arm.  
  
The dancers on stage now were moving in a slower rhythm, spiralling, then they put on a burst of speed and the male lead dancer led his partner in a series of moves where they sped up until with a crash of music they flipped around and landed at the front of the stage to thunderous applause.  
  
As the curtains closed, Zhang gave Ashish a pleased smile. "I believe I shall have requests for an encore. Not everyone will be as......" his gaze switched briefly to the clinging Chinese girl, "....pleasantly diverted as you."  
  
********* "I can't believe we pulled that off!"Ranma cried back in the dressing room. "Impersonating dancers to get in here has to be the craziest idea I've ever heard, Akane!"  
  
"Hey, if it works, don't knock it!" I retorted. " If we hadn't seen that there was a show on tonight on the plaque, and we hadn't seen the dancers' van at the same time, I'd just have thought of some other way in."  
  
My heart was pounding like mad. Amid the excited cries and movements of the rest of the dancers backstage, I ran a shaky hand through my hair. The adrenaline rush was still holding me high. "Besides, we weren't impersonating dancers. I think we did a pretty good job out there..."  
  
Ranma, standing close to me, moved in closer and ran his hands down my sides. "I could see all those old men out there drooling at you. This costume is just a bit too sexy for my liking. I don't know if......"  
  
"Dont worry," I said airily, stepping back and trying to calm my thumping heart. Dammit. "I'll change my costume for the next song."  
  
I did. It was a short, fire red number that was made of feathers and little else. The audience loved it. Ranma was seething. We danced all the way through dinner before we were allowed a break.  
  
"You guys were awesome!"A petite brunette dancer rushed over to tell us. She smiled at Ranma flirtatiously. "We should offer you a permanent job!" I noticed she didn't say 'jobs'. It figures, I thought to myself.  
  
Ranma grinned back at her. He was ticked off with me about my costumes, though I didn't see why he should care. Besides we still needed the dancers, so we were still making nice. "Thanks, you were pretty light on your toes too!"  
  
The girl took that as encouragement and sidled closer to Ranma and they struck up a conversation. I was starting to feel like a third wheel.  
  
I've been here before, I sighed with wry humour. Some things you can never escape.  
  
Well, that was okay. I wasn't mad because there were things to be done. It was time to scout out the lay of the land. I knew the diamond was close by. I could feel it. I just didn't know where. Dammit. If only I could home on on the thing like a homing beacon, then I could.....no, wait. That was too creepy. Be a lodestone to a diamond? No thanks, Akane Tendo's got enough on her plate, I muttered silently.  
  
I stood up and moved off. Ranma sent me a questioning glance. 'Washroom' I mouthed to him, and he sat back, satisified.  
  
I moved furthur backstage, looking for the stairs that led out. I found them but they led to a whole different level of dressing rooms. I turned a corner slowly and climbed a set of stiars, deciding I was now again on the level of the party.  
  
The other dancers had told us the party was being hosted by a Mr. Zhang, quite a hotshot here apparently, but rather on the shady side. His guest of honor was Mr. Ashish, an Indian who was suspected to have international dealings with all sorts of people and currently was negotiating something with Mr. Zhang.  
  
I was interested in Zhang as well as the Indian, Ashish- Zhang because I couldn't beleive that a diamond and a shady man were occupying a space where one had no knowledge of the other, and Ashish because I had remembered that the goons who had attacked us on the way from the airport yesterday, gosh, was that only yesterday, had been paid by an Indian. What in the world was the connection? Was the Indian in Zhang's hire? Of course, everyone cold be perfectly innocent.....  
  
I snorted. Yeah, right.  
  
Now I was in the corridor where I suspected the open guestrooms lay, where any guest could avail themselves of the comforts of a room without the bother of a key. It could be locked from the inside, I knew. Perfect spots for couples to steal off to.  
  
I did run across a few couples here and there, obviously trying to escape for some privacy now that dinner was mostly over. Some of the men were Americans, I could see, and their host had graciously provided them with 'escorts' who were trying to pull them into rooms with their broken English.  
  
"Lima make you feel good and happy, you come inside," said one slim girl, tugging at her man's hand. She's probably being really well paid for this, I told myself firmly. Don't interfere. The couple moved into a room.  
  
I continued down the corridor, now looking for Mr. Zhang. I heard a guy yell, and someone saying something really fast in Chinese around a corner. Still disturbed by the other girl, Lima, my overcharged instincts took over and I dashed around a corner, only to see a girl holding what definitely had to be the Indian gentleman, Ashish, was that his name? She had her hand clenched around his windpipe and had drawn him up so that his shiny dress shoes barely touched the ground.  
  
I couldn't see her face, but she was growling something in English when I slammed into her back, sending both of them sprawling. Before you could say 'dim-sum' I had my gun out and cocked and pushed into the small of her scantily clad back. She yowled and tried to throw me off . I'd learned some tricks in recent years and I locked her in place. Just then, a dagger came whizzing out of thin air to thunk into the wall across from me.  
  
"Damn!" I yelled. "Buddy, whoever it is, you send one more little present this way and I'll turn your girlfriend into so much spaghetti...." I flipped the girl around and had my gun shoved against her jaw before I recognized the incredulous violet eyes staring up at me.  
  
"Shampoo?"  
  
"Mousse, don't shoot!" she screamed. "It's Akane Tendo!" 


	11. Ghosts of Nerima Past

Well well......here is chapter 11......I wish I could reply to all you readers by name and I will when I get the time, but in the meantime, enjoy.......  
  
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"What the hell?" I croaked in shock, staring at the struggling, curvaceous woman I had slammed up against the wall. "Shampoo? What are you doing here?"  
  
I blinked to make sure my eyes were seeing right. Yup, it was definitely my old nemesis. Older, taller, curvier. In fact, she was a little taller than me, which sort of ticked me off. Her long hair was arranged in some intricate fashion with jewelled hairpins that let some of it flow like shiny tar down one shoulder. She'd dyed it black which was why I hadn't recognized her from behind. Her feet were clad in four-inch, red, stiletto- heeled sandals. That explained some of the height. She'd poured herself into a sequined scarlet evening dress of some clingy material that had no back and very little front, and I could feel her very ample breasts heaving against my forearm.  
  
Damn, I hope they're sagging by now, I thought uncharitably.  
  
She peered down at me, eyes wide, swallowing past the gun I'd pressed up against her lily-white throat. Her soft perfume enveloped me in a cloud of roses. Seduction working overtime.  
  
"What are YOU doing here, Akane?" She asked. She looked a helluva lot less surprised to see me than I was to see her. I wondered why. I hadn't seen Shampoo in seven years. She'd lit out soon after Ranma left Nerima. I decided to find out once the situation was a little more under control. The guy she'd been mauling was frozen, clutching his throat with long, slim fingers, but since we were in a corner and Shampoo and I were blocking his exit he couldn't leave without getting past us.  
  
Still holding her by the neck, I shifted sideways, trying to present the smallest target for the next knife that might come my way from behind. I pointed the gun at the ground and glanced around for her cohort. I remembered how good Mousse was at throwing knives and swords and chains and......ducks......whatever the obsessed martial artist could get his hands on.  
  
"Mousse, if that's you, come out of there," I called a little nervously, watching the other wall where the hotel had placed stands of potted plants.  
  
A slim young man in a waiter's uniform came out from behind a potted palm, his hands empty and raised up palms outwards in the universal gesture of surrender. It was definitely Mousse. I hadn't seen him, either, since he'd left with Shampoo and Cologne. I remembered that long, shining curtain of hair, glossy black as a raven's wing. Sure, it was clubbed back into a ponytail now, and the coke-bottom glasses that hid his luminous bottle- green eyes were gone, and he looked older. But it was definitely Mousse.  
  
"Hello, Akane Tendo," he said, in a tone that said he was surprised to see me but not shocked. He eyed my little dress of feathers with appreciation."You're looking good."  
  
Compliments from MOUSSE? Last I could remember, he didn't know there was a girl in the world aside from Shampoo. Why were these two surprised, but not shocked, to see me? I shook my head, took a deep breath and slowly released Shampoo, moving away so that I could nominally cover all three of them with my gun in one sweep. She moved back quickly, her sharp heels sinking into the thick carpet, but she didn't join Mousse, who stood there doing his best to look harmless. That didn't fool me. I knew Mousse could pull the kitchen sink out of his uniform if he wanted to. I choked down questions I wanted to ask because I didn't want to look like the ignorant one of the group, and I still vaguely hoped everyone would disappear and make things easier for me.  
  
"Okay, let's start with the simple things in life." Nothing looked simple here, but I forged ahead with hope in my heart. "Who is this guy and why were you choking him, Shampoo?"  
  
She glared at the guy, who was now glaring back at her. Close up, I could see he was taller than all of us, in his early thirties. He emanated an aura of competence. He wore a dark blue Armani suit that went well against his café latte coloring. His dark hair had been expertly styled and a gold Rolex encircled his left wrist. I could smell rich, heavy cologne on him. His jet-black eyes looked coldly at Shampoo as he continued to rub his throat lightly.  
  
"This man is wanted for questioning," she said. "As an officer of the law, I'm taking him in."  
  
"You're an officer of the law?" I said. "What law?"  
  
She frowned at me, like I was trying to make things difficult on purpose. She'd given me that look before, when I was foiling whatever scheme she'd come up with to make Ranma her husband. So sue me.  
  
"Mousse and I work for Chinese Intelligence and we've been looking for this man," Shampoo pointed an accusing finger at him. "...in regard to smuggling. He calls himself Ashish."  
  
She pulled out a certificate from somewhere I didn't see and brandished it in front of me. Well, that tore it. I wasn't happy about it but I reluctantly switched my gaze to Ashish.  
  
"Mr. Ashish, I'm afraid on Chinese territory I'll have to hand you over...."  
  
"You idiots!" Ashish muttered. He whipped out a small book and flipped it open facing us. "I work for the Central Bureau of Investigation in India, and I too am investigating this smuggling ring. I am undercover!"  
  
I wanted to whisk out a menu or something, just for the hell of it, since everyone else seemed to have papers handy to wave around.  
  
"Geez, there's a party going on back here," drawled a voice, and I turned to see Ranma leaning against a wall; arms folded nonchalantly, legs crossed. "Why wasn't I invited?"  
  
"And who are YOU?" asked Ashish, looking angry at yet another addition to our little gathering. I watched Shampoo for her reaction, but she simply looked annoyed.  
  
"Look, everyone, this is getting complicated," said Mousse, in a pacifying manner. "We should retire somewhere a little more private." He walked up to the wall and pulled his knife out. My hands itched to aim my gun at him, but there was no way I was going to shoot Mousse, and it seemed a little silly to point a gun at him if I didn't plan to use it.  
  
Ranma had walked close to me and now he bent his head so that his lips were close against my ear. "I thought you were going to the washroom."  
  
"I got lost," I hissed back.  
  
"Mhmmm, really?" He let his hand rest on my bare shoulder and moved it in a downward caress to my elbow, which he gripped lightly. "If you disappear like that again, Akane," he murmured, sending shivers down my spine, "I will have to lock you up, and I promise you won't like that, even if I will." I flushed but before I could work up the courage to say anything, Ranma stepped back.  
  
"What are you doing here, Ranma?" Shampoo had taken a step forward, her eyes glittering and her fists clenched. Mousse let his knife disappear into his outfit and turned to us.  
  
"Ranma Saotome, it's been a long time." Something in his tone made Shampoo relax, and she started watching Ashish again.  
  
"Your aim has gotten better, Mousse, or were you just lucky?" I asked, motioning to his lack of glasses.  
  
"Contacts," he explained, smiling. Since when did Mousse get so calm, anyway, I wondered.  
  
Shampoo turned and led the way into one of the guestrooms. She swayed as she walked, with the utter confidence of a woman who knows that every eye is trained on her shapely behind. Yes, I looked, too. Briefly.  
  
"Don't worry," she said, opening a door and leading us in. "It's soundproof. For the screams, you know."  
  
I so didn't want to know. I glanced around. A giant circular bed with dark red satin sheets and lots of throw pillows dominated the room. Near the window, there was a table with chairs and we unanimously avoided the bed and headed for the chairs.  
  
Once we were seated, Shampoo said, "Explain to us why you are here.....Akane." I had the feeling she'd wanted to say 'bitch' instead.  
  
"Why me?" I felt irritable. Being around Shampoo just got me that way and I was so sick of being the one with all the questions. "I'm the one who rescued Ashish from a broken neck, not to mention saving you from making a big mistake by killing an Indian officer. I think you owe me explanations. What are you doing in this hotel in the first place?"  
  
"Are you working with Ranma?" she asked abruptly. Again I mentally translated that to- Are you sleeping with Ranma? I felt my cheeks heat, and Shampoo's eyes narrowed.  
  
"Yes, she is, Shampoo," Ranma said, leaning forward to place his elbows on the table. "That has no bearing here. We'd still like an explanation."  
  
Mousse leaned forward as well. His bright, green eyes looked from Ranma to Shampoo as he spoke. I wondered what he was thinking. "A month ago, our department was given a tip that a ring of thieves was smuggling things from China to India, across our shared border. The things would then be taken by train down to the coast and shipped off to various parts of the world. They shipped all sorts of things-jewels, women, panda bears......"  
  
"Panda bears?" I injected.  
  
"Some people will pay a lot for an animal that is an endangered species," Mousse explained. "These people also smuggle drugs. Shampoo was chosen to go undercover and try to get herself bought and smuggled."  
  
"I discovered who was in charge of the smuggling at the Chinese end," said Shampoo, picking up the thread of the story. "His name is Zhang. And he has a secretary, Shekuto, who is very dangerous. But when I was snooping around, I heard that Zhang communicates with someone in India, who was going to send Ashish here as his representative. The party tonight was in honour of him." She turned to Ashish expectantly. The CBI officer scowled, looking uncomfortable spilling his guts to strangers.  
  
"I am in much the same situation as Puu, or I should say, Shampoo," he said, running a hand through his hair. "The Indian government in Delhi learnt that Chinese contraband was passing through our railway system secretly and being shipped out from Calcutta."  
  
"Wouldn't it be easier just to ship them out of Shanghai?" Ranma asked. He sat facing the door and the light from the window made it hard to read his expression.  
  
"The ports in Shanghai are too well watched for that to work," Mousse said. "The goods are collected at Lhasa. Zhang's counterpart has a whole list of corrupt officials to help him in eastern India."  
  
"We just don't know who he is," Ashish growled in frustration. He looked like a man who was used to the finer things in life, but as though he'd achieved them in a slightly shady way. Perfect for his role, I mused. "And now I may never have the chance if all of you have blown my cover!"  
  
I listened silently, trying to put the information together in my head. What did this have to do with the diamond, though? Was it simply another acquisition of the smuggling ring? Who ever heard of ninjas working for a smuggling ring?  
  
"Have you heard of a Kesari Dal?" Ranma asked at that moment. Shampoo and Mousse shook their heads.  
  
"He's a thug in the Indian underworld," Ashish looked suddenly interested. "He is based in Calcutta. Where did you come across the name?"  
  
"His goons decided to rough us up a little bit," said Ranma. "We don't know why."  
  
"So what are you two doing here?" Shampoo asked, switching her gaze from Ranma to me. I suddenly realized that she must have come across Ranma sometime in these last eight years, maybe even recently. She seemed to regard him mainly in the way of a cop regarding a neighboring cop homing in on her territory, but there was something else there as well. Ooh, Ranma had some explaining to do.  
  
"I'm Akane's bodyguard," Ranma answered, then leaned back and left the rest up to me. I skewered him with a glare for passing the buck so easily, but he grinned and shrugged. I quickly juggled everything I knew and tried to decide how much I wanted to tell them.  
  
"I was carrying a package for someone who I hoped to find in Shanghai," I said, keeping it truthful and short. "The package got stolen last night and I have reason to believe it's in this hotel."  
  
"What was in the package?" asked Shampoo.  
  
"I'm not at liberty to say," I sighed, closing my eyes against the pressure of their stares. "It's confidential."  
  
"So you seem to be here on a different case" Ashish mused. He stood up then. "Well, if the sharing of information is done, you and I have to get back to the party, my dear 'Puu', and I'll assure Zhang that his gift was quite......time-consuming."  
  
Shampoo flushed and stood as well. Mousse, Ranma and I followed suit. We trooped out behind Shampoo and Ashish after making sure that no one was in sight. We all had jobs to do, and Ranma and I had to get back to the stage.  
  
We climbed a set of stairs leading to the party level, and the noise of clinking cutlery and soft music let us know we were in the right place.  
  
"Me first," Mousse murmured. "You can find me in the servants' living quarters after the party." With that, he melted easily into the crowd. I saw him emerge amidst a group of people with a tray of drinks in his hand.  
  
Shampoo placed her hand on Ashish's arm and glanced back at Ranma. Some emotion glittered in her pale eyes, and I realized it was regret. Then she looked at me.  
  
"You don't really believe this is a coincidence do you, Akane Tendo?" So saying, she allowed Ashish to lead her out. I tracked their progress until suddenly Ranma grabbed me around the waist with both hands. A thrill of fear went through me.  
  
"Akane," he growled softly, leaning in to nuzzle my neck softly, "You are the most stubborn chick alive and some day I'll have to....."  
  
There was a clinking of glassware and I looked up to see Zhang standing proudly in front of a velvet-covered box. Ashish and Shampoo stood next to him. I watched from the shelter of Ranma's arms.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen," he said, smiling. "In honor of my new guest, Mr. Ashish, I would like to unveil my latest acquisition, the Great Mogul diamond!"  
  
There were gasps and low cries as a guard whisked off the velvet curtain from the box to reveal......my great, big, ugly, yellow, priceless diamond.  
  
Damn. 


	12. Queen's Pawn

I deliver things.  
  
That's what I'm paid to do. I'm NOT a spy, not an assassin, not even an agent or anything. I'm just a lil' old delivery girl who transports objects of value between two parties. By that, I mean things you wouldn't normally Fed Ex from the post office. It's usually just that simple. Sure, I came up against obstacles, but I'd always dealt with them before.  
  
So why was I wearing a strappy little dress made of red feathers, hiding in the anteroom to the bar of the posh Plaza Hotel in the city of Shanghai, spying on a suspected smuggler and his henchmen, with Ranma my ex-fiancé behind me? Forget that Shampoo and Mousse, who I hadn't seen for almost as long as I hadn't seen Ranma, were also circulating in that crowd. Forget that some Indian gangster was sending his minions after us.  
  
It was all for that great big diamond on display. The Mogul diamond sat winking and blinking at me in its black satin tray. I could almost swear it was communicating with me. Maybe it was. I'd been having weird dreams ever since it came into my hands. I couldn't wait to find the guy I was supposed to hand it over to and get the hell out of China.  
  
Too bad I couldn't find him. Sir Blaine had come to Shanghai and done a disappearing act. I only had four more days to find him, not counting tonight. I was also a little hampered by the ninjas that kept appearing to attack Ranma and me and now they'd finally stolen my diamond for Zhang.  
  
I hovered behind the crimson velvet curtains and tried to spot all the security guards circling the display case like sharks. Before I could decide how I was going to snatch the diamond, Mousse reappeared behind me like smoke.  
  
"Akane Tendo," he said, balancing a tray of drinks with ease. His waiter's uniform didn't even bear a single crease. "I overheard that Zhang and his company will stay in the hotel tonight and move on in the late morning."  
  
"Mousse!" I turned, startled, to face him. Ranma was glowering at him. "Why are you telling me...."  
  
Mouse gave me a faint smirk. "I don't know what your business here is exactly, but I don't believe in coincidences. Zhang's presence here affects you. Since Shampoo and I are on Zhang's case, it is inevitable we will cross paths again. Perhaps we can assist each other."  
  
He made to leave, but stopped when I placed a hand on his arm. He glanced down at me inquiringly.  
  
"Mousse...." I began then said, "Why weren't you and Shampoo surprised to see me?"  
  
He smiled. "Oh, we were surprised to see you HERE."  
  
"Wha....?" I fisted my hands and glared up at him. He'd gotten taller and having to look up at him disconcerted me. "Make sense, Mousse. Don't get all enigmatic on me or I will kick your Chinese ass."  
  
Ranma coughed behind me. Mousse choked and snickered. "Oh, really? Well, then let me ask you, Akane Tendo, do you really think that this is the first time we have crossed paths? Remember Paris, two years ago, you were working with an Armenian coffee smuggler ...."  
  
"There was a Chinese arms dealer," I said, frowning as I remembered.  
  
"What coffee smuggler?" Ranma walked around me and looked questioningly at both of us, folding his arms over his chest. He looked uncomfortable with Mousse and me sharing a nostalgic moment. "What arms dealer?"  
  
"You were there?" I asked Mousse, ignoring Ranma and the way the material of his shirt stretched so snugly across his very wide....oh my.  
  
"It was the first time Shampoo and I had been paired up, actually," A look of remembrance faintly shadowed Mousse's emerald eyes. I was starting to feel slightly hot and bothered, standing before two of my old Nerima friends, both of whom had grown up into tall, hot, intimidating.I firmly wrenched my mind back to the matter at hand.  
  
"....we were waiting on the roof of the Louvre, and you walked by with the Armenian. Shampoo was shocked, I'll say." Mousse grinned, making him look a little more boyish, more like he used to. "You looked very....poised, Akane, very much in control. We hadn't even heard that you had left Nerima. You weren't in our way, so we left you alone."  
  
"Didn't stop to say hi?" I joked, feeling a bit hurt anyway. After all, we had a history together.  
  
Mousse leaned in very slightly, invading my personal space just enough to make me aware of him. "We both wanted to." His eyes were trained on mine, the green gaze boring into me like emerald lasers. "For VERY different reasons. Shampoo, I'm afraid, wanted to greet you rather violently." He straightened, and I suddenly remembered to breathe.  
  
Ranma's hands closed around my shoulders from behind, the warm curve of his fingers against my bare skin doing little to disguise his firm grip. He came a half step closer to me, framing me with his body.  
  
"And how did YOU want to greet Akane, Mousse?" he asked softly. His breath stirred the hair at my temple, and I shivered, watching Mousse watching Ranma. We were frozen in that odd tableaux for a moment, then Mousse smiled and stepped back.  
  
"Nicely, of course," he said. Then he melted back into the crowd. I swung around and glared at Ranma.  
  
"What was that all about?" I demanded.  
  
"You tell me, Akane," he grinned. I wasn't quite sure myself so I filed it all away to think about later, trying to focus on the relevant things. Mousse had said Zhang and his gang would be around till tomorrow morning. The dead of night would make stealing the diamond a lot easier, I hoped.  
  
"The Mogul can stay safe here until we get back." I began to walk towards the exit.  
  
"What? Where are we going?" I felt a flash of satisfaction at Ranma's confused expression.  
  
"We're going to find Sir Blaine, of course."  
  
*****************  
  
"Do not tell me you want to ransack Blaine's room in the middle of the night!" Ranma hissed at me from his position behind a trashcan.  
  
"It's only 10 pm, Ranma," I said from behind a statue, scanning the walls of the Silver Lily hotel, our residence of just a day ago. "In the middle of the night, we'll be busy stealing the Mogul back, remember?" I heard a slight groan from his direction and grinned.  
  
"Blaine was in Room 1006," I reminded him. The tenth floor. Hmm, tricky but not impossible. Tricky only because we were going to get in from the outside. With Ranma on my side, things looked a lot easier. However, I didn't want to startle the people who were now occupying the room. A bomb had gone off in the hotel the day before. The staff was bound to be a mite jumpy.  
  
I glanced briefly at my clothes. Ranma and I had searched for more inconspicuous clothes in the dance troupe's wardrobe. Ironically, all we had come up with were ninja costumes. Well, it WAS a dance troupe. Ranma and I were now clad in unrelieved black from head to toe, with concealing black scarves wrapped around our faces.  
  
"Don't you think that the hotel would have vacated its guests after the bomb exploded?" Ranma was watching the entrance. "There's going to be a lot of security, you know." One security guard sat at the entrance while others discreetly patrolled the perimeter.  
  
"There's security, but they've passed the explosion off as a gas leak."  
  
"What?" I could hear incredulity in Ranma's voice.  
  
"I saw it on the little TV backstage at the Plaza hotel." I didn't think the hotel would be able to keep it under wraps for much longer, but as long as an investigation went on, the guests would not be encouraged to leave.  
  
Ranma was silent. "You're right. It's just stupid that we're responsible for making it so hard to get in." he said. "Well, if you're really determined, let's do this."  
  
We sprinted for the cover of the garden hedges and plastered ourselves against the side of the building, counting on the hedges to hide us from view. The security guard at the hotel entrance looked around, raising his gun momentarily, but we did our best to melt into the shadows, becoming invisible. My heart thudded with excitement and I breathed out shallowly.  
  
The security guard moved off around the corner of the building, and Ranma hissed, "Now!"  
  
I hopped into his arms and he bent his knees and leapt. I felt the air rushing past my cheeks, fluttering the ends of my scarf, and clutched Ranma. He landed on the balcony of a third floor room and leapt up again, coming to rest on the sixth floor. Soon, we had landed on the balcony to a tenth floor room. Now to figure out where 1006 was.  
  
Hopping down from the balcony railing, I walked forward softly. The room was dark. Ranma had picked it on purpose. I tugged at the French style windows but they were locked shut. I snapped open a compartment of my belt and pulled out two lock picks.  
  
Ranma watched silently as I got to work. Soon, I was able to slide the doors open, push the long white curtains aside and step into the room.  
  
********************************************************  
  
A/N: ^_^ Guys, just remember, I AM a R/A fan. Now that the semester's over, methinks I should be able to make more updates.  
  
Also, I wanted to thank everyone who reviewed ch 11- That's all I could cram into one chapter.  
  
Me- Thanks a lot! It really helps to know which bits of the fic you like.  
  
ikillyoupig - If you're still reading, don't worry, I don't think any more Nerima people will appear though I was surprised when Shampoo showed up, too. At the moment, I'm more surprised by Mousse.  
  
Reader- thanks a lot!  
  
Shadow Knight- I really doubt Ryouga will show up. I had him in my other fic, Tokens, but he got LOST.  
  
Rei2- Thanks loads. Nice to know I'm not the only fan on this site who is waiting for stories to be updated.  
  
Leigh- What a suggestion! ^_^ I honestly hadn't thought about continuing the adventures, though now it's teasing my mind. But gotta get this one done first!! Sterling-Ag- Glad it was a fun read. Really, I'm happy you are enjoying it.  
  
misao-heaven- Sorry it took so long to updat, but exams got in the way!  
  
pajaro95- Sorry, no ukyou and ryouga in this one I think. If you want ukyou, try Tokens.  
  
may- what's up? You are such a faithful reader and one of the most encouraging! I never feel like a chapter's been reviewed enough until you review it!!! ^_^  
  
Nimbus Rey- Me too. I wish everyone would update sooner. Lol.  
  
Jane- Actually, there was no silk in ch 11. i did a word check. I think you were thinking of an earlier chapter. Still, I shall tone it down! :D Thanks for the constructive crit.  
  
stargirl2004- Thank you!!!!!!!! 


	13. The Silver Lily

Ranma shut the windows behind us, and we crossed the pitch-dark hotel room, our thin shoes sinking silently into the thick pile carpet. I opened the door that led into the hallway and peeked outside. The corridor was lighted with small dimmed lamps set every few feet into the rose-colored walls. All the doors were closed and a quiet hush filled the passage. I read the numbers on the doors and stopped when I reached the right one.  
  
"1006," I whispered, nodding in the direction of the door with 1006 set on it in gold-plated numbers. Ranma squeezed my shoulder from behind and moved ahead of me to cross the hallway.  
  
My heart pounding with nervousness, I followed him and pulled out my lock picks, holding them ready. Ranma knocked on the door.  
  
"House keeping," he called out. There was no response. Ranma crouched and studied the bottom of the door. "There's no light here, Akane. No one's home."  
  
I took a deep breath and moved forward to pick the lock open. In the space of a few minutes, I heard the tumblers click and gently turned the knob. The room was dark and smelled of cherry polish. I pushed the door open. We walked into the room and I turned on both the bedside lamps. The room showed signs of occupation. Two suitcases stood in one corner. A smaller airbag was open, with clothes spilling out. Clothes lay on the bed, scattered haphazardly. Glasses and a half-empty bottle of wine sat on the small dining table. Novels sat stacked neatly on the dresser and six pairs of ladies' shoes were arranged neatly against the wall.  
  
My foot scraped against something and I looked down. A small square of plastic caught my eye. I bent down and picked it up, Ranma joining me to examine it.  
  
"What's this....?" Trojans, it said on the cover. My eyes widened. "Waaah!" I dropped the square like a hot potato. "A condom! Ugh!"  
  
Ranma chuckled out loud. "It's just the packet, Akane. Aren't you happy we're not REALLY house keeping? We'd have to clean this shit up."  
  
I held my wrist with the other hand and shook my fingers wildly. "That's disgusting!" I cried. "Yuck!"  
  
Ranma continued to chuckle, looking around at the room.  
  
A thought struck me and I blushed.  
  
Ranma watched me with interest. "What is it, Akane?" he asked softly.  
  
I gritted my teeth as I said," We didn't use...one of these." My cheeks felt like they were in fire as I looked up at Ranma.  
  
He smiled down at me. It was a scary smile, so possessive and filled with male satisfaction that I wanted to cringe, to punch him and wipe that smile off his face.  
  
So I punched him. I watched as my fist connected with his face and reflected that my shishou would be so ashamed of me and I had never felt SO good.  
  
"I'm going to go wash my hands," I growled as Ranma watched me with surprise. "You can look around here. I'll check the bathroom." I turned and stalked off, and I could still feel Ranma grinning at my back.  
  
"Akane, even if we find something, there's no way of telling if it belongs to the new people living here or Blaine."  
  
I headed for the bathroom. "There's always Hiro." Hiro was the man Blaine had hung out with while staying at the hotel. The clerk had also mentioned Blaine had been seen with a beautiful woman, but she wasn't staying at the hotel and he didn't know anything else about her.  
  
I washed my hands, searched the bathroom carefully, and washed my hands again, still fuming at Ranma's behaviour. He'd been taunting me and touching me ever since he had yelled at me on that roof, trying to get me to react. Well, I hoped he was happy.  
  
The image in the bathroom mirror stared back at me as I looked into my eyes, searching for something. When I was still in college, I had met a man who had looked into my eyes and said, "There is so much anger in you."  
  
I'd laughed and said," Says you and Yoda!"  
  
He'd taught me a lot about dealing with my anger towards Ranma. I used one of his techniques and created a small opaque globe in mind. Into that I shoved Ranma's possessive smile and banged the door closed on it.  
  
"I'll think about you later," I muttered.  
  
Time to focus on the task at hand.  
  
As Ranma had predicted, it was impossible to tell if anything I found had belonged to Blaine or not. I doubted it. Most of the items in the bathroom belonged to a woman, unless Blaine was into cross dressing. I shrugged. I'd seen weirder things, nevertheless, it was best to keep things simple.  
  
When I came out, Ranma was dragging the dresser aside. I watched his muscles beneath his tunic flex and bulge. Then I tried NOT to watch them.  
  
"It's too heavy for housekeeping to move," He explained about the dresser. His face lighted up as he peered into the cavity. He reached in and picked up a scrap of paper. He was about to say something when we heard voices in the corridor. We turned to each other with startled gazes.  
  
"Quick," he commanded, and swept me under the bed. The voices came closer and my heart pounded against my ribs. Feeling Ranma pressed against me protectively didn't help. The voices grew louder, and louder and passed the room, growing softer.  
  
"Whew!" I exhaled, relief filtering through me. I turned slightly towards my protector, the wooden slats of the bed above me stopping me from moving easily. "Ranma, we'd better leave before the people who live here show up."  
  
"Looks like Hiro's our best bet."  
  
We quickly doused the lamps and let ourselves out, after making sure the hallway was unoccupied. We left our outfits as they were, so that no one would recognize us. If asked, I planned to plead a costume party.  
  
Ranma found the stairs leading to the next levels, and we quickly climbed to the 14th floor, where the clerk had told us Hiro's room was located.  
  
We counted off the doors as we padded down the hallway.  
  
"1402, 1404.1408..here we are, 1412 but...Ranma!" I cried in a hushed voice. We stared at the door. It was slightly ajar. Ranma pushed it open slowly and we waited for what the door might reveal.  
  
Someone grabbed the knob from the other side and pulled it open all the way, revealing five black clad figures standing in the room, staring at us. My breath caught in my throat, as I stared wide-eyed. The five figures were ninjas.  
  
*************************************************************  
  
"You've come at last," the ninja who had opened the door said in Japanese. "Well, I haven't got all day. Come on in!"  
  
Ranma, without a glance at me, nodded and stepped into the room. I followed him, my head spinning. They thought we were part of their group? What were they up to? That's when I saw him. It had to be Hiro. He sat on a chair, his hands bound behind him, his head pulled back by the grip that one of the ninjas had on his hair. A man of middle years, he was sweating profusely and his broad face was flushed with fear. His cheek bore the marks of blows and one eye was bruising purple. His eyes widened when he saw us, additions to the enemy ranks.  
  
"Please, I don't know any more!" he gasped in Chinese. The man who had opened the door, presumably the leader of the ninjas, stalked forward and gripped Hiro's chin with his gloved fingers.  
  
"Any more?" He said softly in Chinese. "You haven't told us much to begin with. We will find Blaine one way or the other. But the other way will leave you dead, or wishing you were." He bent slightly and caressed the captive's arm. Hiro let out a shriek.  
  
"Oh, did I hit a nerve?" The leader crooned. The other ninjas laughed at the joke. My eyes went to Ranma. I couldn't see his face, but his shoulders were tense. Was he going to do anything? My hands itched to punch the leader's lights out. I had to do something about this, but what?  
  
The leader straightened.  
  
"Break one of his fingers," he said in Chinese to Ranma. Hiro turned pale, and began to twist in his seat. Ranma slowly walked toward the bound man, passing the leader on the way. He reached the chair and went behind it, crouching down so he could reach Hiro's fingers. A cold sweat began to trickle down my spine. Was Ranma really going to do it?  
  
There was a short pause, then there was a snap. Hiro screamed, high and painfully, his eyes bugging out as his body arched against the chair, trying to escape the pain. I stared in horror, grateful that my ninja's scarf didn't reveal my expression to these monsters. Had Ranma really broken his finger?? I felt myself starting to tremble. Ranma's face appeared over the back of the chair. His mask hid his expression as well, but his eyes were fierce, glaring at me. What was he trying to say? Was he sending some kind of message. The room seemed very hot suddenly, and filled with way too many ninjas.  
  
The leader ignored Hiro and Ranma.  
  
"Hano, report," he said, this time in Japanese. One of the ninjas stepped forward and said, "Sir, Rintaro and his recruits will..."  
  
"Wait!" The leader held up a hand. He turned to Ranma. "Rintaro? I thought you were here..."  
  
He hadn't even finished his sentence before Ranma went into action. He picked up the bound Hiro, chair and all, and threw him at the leader. Hiro screamed in pain and fright. I didn't wait to see what happened, but high- kicked the ninja closest to me. It caught him completely by surprise.  
  
Ranma hadn't even waited to see Hiro land, but had simply turned and punched a ninja in the face. I heard bone crack. The other ninjas were quick to respond. I grabbed the first thing I could, a heavy silver liquor tray, and smashed it into the ear of the ninja I had high- kicked. The remaining two ninjas spread between me and Ranma.  
  
Ranma was trading punches with a second ninja, using his tenshin amaguriken technique to land blows at a speed his opponent couldn't hope to match. I, as always, relied on brute strength, using the tray to smash into ribs and bones even as my legs kicked and pirouetted me gracefully. I avoided the kicks that my opponent was launching at me, dancing backwards as my shishou had taught me.  
  
My attention was momentarily diverted as Ranma cartwheeled off the bedstand and his feet slammed into the jugular of the third ninja. A kick caught me in the side of the head and I went reeling, falling against the wall and trying to roll at the same time, anticipating when the next kick would come.  
  
Ranma hadn't seen the kick. He had reached Hiro now and picked up his chair again. Hiro screeched in fear. Below him, the leader lay motionless, knocked out by the chair.  
  
I rolled on the carpet to avoid more blows and stood up just as Ranma cried," Catch!"  
  
No way, was he...? I watched as Hiro came flying toward me. I caught two of the chair legs and whirled the chair, using its own momentum to smash the ninja trying to attack me from behind. The back of the chair hit his face and he went sprawling. I continued to whirl the chair, afraid that if I let go, it would prove too heavy and I would have to drop Hiro, chair and all.  
  
Ranma sure has a lot of faith in my strength, I mused. Sure, everyone in Nerima had known I was strong, but for Ranma to trust me...it gave me a warm glow all over.  
  
The door opened and more ninjas ran in. The real reinforcements, I thought to myself. They paused and looked around, confused. Since all of us were dressed as ninjas, they weren't quite sure who to attack.  
  
I thought quickly. Ranma and I were getting outnumbered. We were fourteen floors up. If I threw Hiro out to the balcony, Ranma could grab me and the chair and jump down the balconies to the ground.  
  
I hefted Hiro and ran for the window.  
  
"Ranma! Let's go!" I yelled. I threw Hiro at the window with all my might.  
  
"Noooooooo.....!" Hiro screeched. He crashed through the glass, but he didn't bounce off the balcony floor. Instead, he kept falling.  
  
I screamed, horrified. The room didn't HAVE a balcony!  
  
"Fuck it!" Behind me I heard Ranma swear in Japanese.  
  
Then I was picked up and I only felt air whooshing past me at an incredible speed. Ranma had tucked me under his arm and jumped out of the window.  
  
"What are you dooooing?" I yelled, holding him tightly around the waist with one arm. My other arm flailed wildly. Our scarves snapped in the cold air. Below me, I could see Hiro falling, his face a frozen mask of terror. I felt awful for him.  
  
Ranma and I were possibly lighter than him, or Ranma was using some technique to fall faster, because we were actually nearing Hiro. Even if we reached him, though, falling from fourteen stories would just make all three of us very squashed people.  
  
The gap between us was closing faster than ever. I had no idea how far we were from the ground. Ranma reached out and snagged Hiro's shirt, yanking him out of the chair. He positioned himself so that he landed on a balcony and took off again before the impact had time to kick in. He landed on another balcony a few floors down, lessening the impact even further, and then his feet touched the ground.  
  
Even then, the shock of it reverberated through us, sending us flying. Farther away from us, the chair hit the ground and exploded into splinters.  
  
I lay on the grass, letting the soft green spikes tickle my nose as I gradually took in the fact that we had survived a 14-story drop with our hostage.  
  
"What the hell was that?" I asked breathlessly.  
  
"I call it the Floating Leaf. It's just a technique." Ranma's careless tone didn't hide his pride in carrying it all off. I almost felt he deserved it. I turned my head to look at Hiro.  
  
"You trusted me to catch him?" I asked Ranma happily.  
  
Ranma looked puzzled. Then his expression cleared.  
  
"No, it was just a distraction. I actually thought you'd get out of the way," he grinned. I scowled at him. Typical Ranma. I sniffed at an acrid smell in the air, then turned to examine Hiro again.  
  
He lay on the ground, gasping like a landed fish. His pants were wet.  
  
Ranma wrinkled his nose. "That's disgusting."  
  
*****************************************************  
  
An hour later, the three of us were back in our dinky motel room, dressed in fresh clothes. Mr. Yoro's bag had produced Chinese tunics for Hiro and Ranma, and loose black trousers. I had donned a tight blue knee-length Chinese dress that was slit high up my thigh. Ranma had looked like he didn't know whether to scowl at the slit or enjoy the slim figure I cut in the dress.  
  
He had dislocated Hiro's index finger at the hotel, and after apologizing, he had reset it. We'd cut Hiro's bonds but kept a close eye on him. The man still looked terrified. I demurely poured out cups of steaming green tea for everyone and handed a small porcelain cup to Hiro, who thanked me. I think he'd forgotten me kicking ninjas in the face, once he saw me in that dress. I was okay with that.  
  
"I shall go back home immediately," Hiro moaned. "Who knew that befriending a British man at such a well-recommended hotel could cause so much trouble?"  
  
Ranma snorted and leaned back against the wall, his arms folded. "What do you take us for? If you were just acquaintances, you would have given up Blaine's information without a second thought. How long have you really known him?"  
  
Hiro looked upset. "I swear to..."  
  
"Don't bother." Ranma unfolded his arms and flexed the fingers of one hand. "Does your hand still hurt, Hiro?"  
  
I winced at this evidence of a newer, more hardened Ranma. Still, I was getting impatient, too.  
  
"Hiro-san, we're really not looking to harm Sir Blaine," I said soothingly. " I'm just a delivery girl. Sir Blaine is the one I must deliver to. Now, please, tell us where he is."  
  
"How can I trust you?" His voice quavered and he turned a shade paler. He curved his hands around the cup of tea as if to warm himself. He quickly took a sip.  
  
Ranma and I instinctively moved back, in case he tried to blind us with the hot liquid. But Hiro only looked up at me questioningly.  
  
"How about we saved your stinking life, you ungrateful prick?" Ranma said irritably. "I could have let you fall until that chair was matchsticks under you."  
  
Hiro lowered his head. "I know." He sighed. He looked very tired. "I am only trying to determine the parties in this situation." He sighed again.  
  
"Blaine works for someone who I also work for. I cannot say more aside from that, except to tell you that Blaine has gone to India. He received a...message. Anyway, I can't tell you more than that. Still it should help you."  
  
"India's a big place."  
  
"Specifically, he has gone to a small town, Egmore, outside the city of Chennai. That used to be the city of Madras, named by the Portuguese, but the locals have replaced that with the original name."  
  
"And would you know anything about a beautiful woman that Sir Blaine was said to keep company with?" I asked.  
  
Hiro shook his head. "She was only a call girl."  
  
"Thank you for the help, Hiro-san," I said sweetly, giving him one of my cuter smiles. He smiled back tiredly. I felt slightly sorry for him.  
  
"What will you do now?" Ranma asked.  
  
"I'd like to board a train to go back home."  
  
At the train station, Hiro boarded the train and turned to us.  
  
"Thank you for saving my life," he said, an intent look upon his face. "I won't forget it."  
  
"Keh, whatever," Ranma turned away indifferently. I smiled up at Hiro before following Ranma.  
  
"What now, oh leader?" Ranma asked mockingly.  
  
"You forgot?" I taunted him back. "We know where Blaine is. Now...we get the diamond back."  
  
Ranma smirked. "You know something, Akane?"  
  
"What, Ranma? I asked, getting ready for another verbal battle with him.  
  
"You are SO cute when you're working." With that, he hooked his fingers around the nape of my neck and hauled me, startled, into a searing kiss, right there in the middle of the train station. I stumbled and my hands automatically went up to clutch soft folds of his tunic. He kept me in place with his hand on the back of my neck even as I struggled, and let his other hand skim my waist up to the top of my ribcage, where he let a thumb lightly stroke the side of one breast. I was melting under the heat of his kiss, forgetting the reasons why I'd told myself I shouldn't do this.  
  
Ranma raised his head and his eyes sparkled midnight blue with desire and expectation. He glanced around the station briefly.  
  
"We've got to take this someplace else."  
  
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A/N-Merry Christmas, everyone!  
  
I actually have the whole story plotted out now, so the chapters will be coming faster. Please do review, you know I'd never update without it.lol..  
  
Now, I hope some of MY favourite writers update also!!! :D  
  
Question- Should I create a mailing list or something to tell you guys HorD has been updated? Well, e-mail me and I'll tell everyone whose email I have. 


	14. Hell To Pay

DISCLAIMER: As we all know, Ranma & co. belong to Rumiko Takahashi, until the day I make pots of money and BUY the characters from her. Wahahahaha....hrm.  
  
A/N 1- FF.net banned me from uploading a new chapter for some infraction. I haven't a clue what the infraction is. The link they sent me to 'guidelines' doesn't work, and no one has replied to the e-mail I sent support@ff.net. If anyone has any helpful ideas or comments on this, please let me know.  
  
Aside from that, here's ch 14.  
  
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CHAPTER 14- Hell to Pay  
  
I shoved Ranma away. "What's gotten into you?" I demanded, moving to put some space between us and trying to catch my breath at the same time.  
  
My ex-fiancé gave me his best 'who-me' look. "What do you mean, Akane? You know we've both changed, grown up..." He took a step closer, then another one.  
  
I refused to give way, holding my palm out to stop him. If I moved back, he'd only follow. "Two nights ago, you were mad at me. Now you're acting like I'm ice-cream on a hot day."  
  
He gave me his hunter's grin. "Akane, all of that's ancient history. In the here and now, I'm with a pretty girl. What else am I gonna do with a pretty girl?"  
  
I sucked in my breath as hurt washed over me, making my eyes sting. Was that all I was to him, a pretty face who just happened to be someone he knew a long time ago? I'd started to think he might still feel some affection for me but really, how well did I know this Ranma? All my old insecurities rushed back, and I hated him for making me feel that way again. The old anger began to build, slowly. I recognized it and tamped it back down.  
  
Deep breath. Deeeep breath. Ranma was watching me with curiosity, his head slightly tilted to one side in a way that made him look boyish.  
  
"Well, I...." I swallowed and tried again, turning my face away. "Keep your hands off me. One way or another, I am getting this job done, and we are running out of time!" I turned back and glared daggers at him, determined to bring our minds back to the job.  
  
"I'm going to steal back that diamond tonight!"  
  
************************************************  
  
After bribing a maid back at the Plaza Stars hotel, we had the whereabouts of Zhang's room. We also learned that after the party, the diamond had been placed in the hotel's special safe with Zhang's security guarding it.  
  
"Simple plan, Akane," Ranma said. "I'll ice the guards, you grab the ice and we can go find Blaine. With any luck, I'll be home by tomorrow night so that I can catch some real sleep for a change."  
  
"Home..." It occurred to me that I had no idea where Ranma lived. "Where's home, Ranma?"  
  
He winked at me. "Ask me nice and I might take you there some day."  
  
I sniffed and turned away. Ranma and his stupid jokes.  
  
"Okay," I said. " How are we going to get past hotel security, let alone Zhang's people?"  
  
"Nothing easier," Ranma drawled, leaning back against the wall.  
  
Five minutes later, Ranma and I were pushing service carts to the elevator. I was dressed like a hotel maid, and Ranma, having discreetly splashed herself with water, had dressed similarly. She tucked her conspicuous red hair under her maid's cap.  
  
"I wish you hadn't attacked those maids for it," I grumbled, looking down into my cart where a sleeping maid lay hidden under piles of crumpled hotel linen wearing only her underclothes.  
  
"Hey, what do you mean? You helped, too, remember?" Ranma scowled at me, looking cute in her lace cap and apron. She pushed the button for the safe's floor and we pushed our carts in.  
  
"Doesn't mean there wasn't a better way of doing it!"  
  
"I didn't hear YOU come up with one!"  
  
"I COULD have!"  
  
"Then why DIDN'T you?" We were nose to nose when we realized the elevator had reached its destination. The doors slid open and we carefully rolled our carts out. As we passed the lobby, I could see Zhang's men standing in front of the safe, which was a large glass door, do doubt made of some impenetrable material.  
  
"These disguises are so obvious. They'll never let us in."  
  
"Who said they have to let us in?" With that, Ranma gave me a push between the shoulders that sent me stumbling forward and into the arms of one of the guards.  
  
The other guards immediately looked alert. I blinked and allowed myself to sag in the arms of the guard who had caught me.  
  
"Oh, excuse me, sir, I must've tripped and fell," I blinked at him with big eyes. He stared down at me, lust creeping into his face.  
  
"Do you work here, little maid?" he asked.  
  
"Fool! She's obviously a setup! Use your head!" Another guard shouted.  
  
"He's right, I should use your head," I said, and slammed his head back against the wall, which was easy to do from my position and proximity. He slumped forward, unconscious.  
  
"Baka! I 'tripped and fell'????" Ranma yelled as she hurled past me to kick a guard in the face with her extended leg. "You were supposed to down the creep, not make eyes at him!"  
  
"I did trip, okay!" I yelled back. "Who asked you to push so hard, anyway?"  
  
"Moko Takabisha!"  
  
A blue stream of power jetted past so close to my ear that it blew my hair away from my face. The glass door blew open with a large cracking sound and I ran through it only to stop in frustration.  
  
"Shit! Ranma, there's another door!"  
  
"Moko takabisha!"  
  
"Thanks!"  
  
Inside the second compartment, the diamond gleamed lazily on its velvet bed. I sighed with relief and moved to scoop it up. Suddenly, I remembered something.  
  
"Waitaminnit...."  
  
"Thought you'd leave with the Mogul so easily, Miss Tendo?" A cool voice came behind me. I whirled to see Zhangs' secretary, Shekuto, blocking the entrance.  
  
"Akane, they have reinforcements." Ranma's voice sounded faintly from outside. I wanted to roll my eyes but my gaze was trained on Shekuto.  
  
Tall and slim, the man looked terrifying with his shark's smile, the black glitter of his eyes above the narrow blade of his nose, not a hair on his jet black head out of place. He wore his ninja's outfit without the mask, the black cloth clinging lovingly to his hard muscles and outlining his broad shoulders and deep chest, his slim hips and his long hard legs.  
  
Memories of our last encounter flashed through my head, him standing in the shadows of the Shanghai rooftops as he challenged us for the diamond.  
  
I gulped. Here stood a very dangerous man. Who was going to wipe the floor with me.  
  
*****************************************************  
  
A/N: Well, school has started so my chapters will probably take longer to be written up. This chapter was a bit short and not v. polished as I am stuck for time, but I'll have the next one up soon. I will also be making minor changes to the previous chapters every once in a while. Happy New year to everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D  
  
Please press that lil' button and review. 


	15. Some Kind of Trouble

DISCLAIMER: Ranma and Co. don't belong to me. They belong to their rightful owner, the person who created them. You know. Her.  
  
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I kicked one of Zhang's guards in the kneecap as I watched Shekuto face off against Akane. The guard howled with pain as his leg crumpled and folded up on the ground. Behind them, the blasted jewel sat on a bed of black velvet, the prize for whoever won this round of the game.  
  
We all knew that Akane wasn't going to be any sort of match for the ninja. I could take him on, sure, even though he looked tough. But Akane was gonna lose. The guards knew it, I knew it, Shekuto knew it, and I could tell Akane knew it, if the expression of nervousness on her face was any sort of indication. She'd adopted a defensive stance, obviously trying to protect the diamond.  
  
"Ain't no way she's gonna get it back by herself," I muttered as another guard and I traded punches. "Yo, Akane! Get your butt outta there. They've got too many people!"  
  
Akane glanced at me out of the corner of her eyes, but Shekuto was taking up most of her attention. "I'm not leaving without the diamond, Ranma!" She kicked out at him smoothly, but he flipped and landed behind her.  
  
Stubborn chick. Stubborn then, stubborn now. I wanted to gnash my teeth. In my entire career, I'd never had to protect anyone so willful and obstinate.  
  
"Ain't no way she's gonna leave without it, either," I decided, quick- punching three more guards who got in my way. I wanted to help her, but I was busy just holding the rest of the hyenas off. Not to mention that the damned maid's dress I was wearing was hampering my movements.  
  
I could see Shekuto's face now. The man had a dangerous gleam in his black eyes. He was smiling now, obviously taunting Akane.  
  
"You have been a thorn in my side, Miss Tendo. You and your associate should learn when to quit."  
  
"Shut up with the corny lines, Shekuto," Akane called back. She had guts, I had to say. "You're just a flunky! If it wasn't for Zhang, you'd be licking the boots of some OTHER mastermind!"  
  
Ooh, that got him mad.  
  
I was about to tear off the dress, when Shekuto sent a kick towards her chest that had me holding my breath, but she evaded it by pirouetting and slamming an arm into his stomach. He caught her by the leg and flipped her. I winced as Akane slammed into the floor. She immediately turned and flipped backwards, bringing her closer to me.  
  
"I want that diamond, you jerk!" Akane yelled, then she did something that threw us all off. She reached out behind her and shoved a guard straight at Shekuto, who was waiting for her attack. The guard slammed into Shekuto, and both of them went sprawling.  
  
"Let's go, Ranma!" she yelled.  
  
Huh? She was giving up? Well, good! I could deal with that. Obviously we needed to regroup and create a situation where I was the one who took Shekuto on. Together we raced for the stairwell.  
  
"After them!" We heard Shekuto order behind us.  
  
We reached the stairwell and jumped the banisters down to the next floor and the next. The shouts got furthur and furthur away. We stopped on one of the lower floors, finally and Akane leaned against the wall, gasping for breath.  
  
"I think we lost 'em for now," I said. "I gotta admit, I'm surprised you finally did the smart thing by running away, but you shoulda let me fight the guy."  
  
"It doesn't matter," Akane panted, her hand splayed to the front of her lacy apron. She'd lost the maid's cap somewhere along the way. "The diamond wasn't real."  
  
"What?" I stared at her in surprise, wondering if all the stress of the last few days was getting to her. "It was right there. What makes you think it wasn't real?"  
  
"The real Mogul, I could feel its aura," Akane replied, her breathing calmer now. She glared at the circles I was drawing in the air at my temple with my index finger.  
  
"Its aura?" I snorted. "When I burst out laughing, do you think you'll be offended?"  
  
She scowled. "I'm NOT crazy, Ranma! I know what you're thinking but........look, did I or did I NOT find the diamond after Shekuto stole it from us?"  
  
I had to admit she had. That didn't mean I wanted to believe in cursed diamonds.  
  
"Well, where's the real one then?" I asked doubtfully, sidestepping the magic issue.  
  
Akane frowned, a cute little V between her eyebrows. God, I wanted her. Every time I breathed in her scent, my fingers itched to grab her and kiss her senseless, tie her up, haul her onto my back and stride off into the sunset. And I still hated her. Hated her for betraying me, for not trusting me, for making the last few years seem like a bleak desert without her presence. I hated that desire for her was like a raging fire through my veins, blazing pathways of need into my brain.  
  
"I'm not sure if Shekuto knew the diamond was fake or not," she was saying. "But I do know that Zhang must have it close by. If he does, we have to go straight to him."  
  
I shook my head, trying to clear it enough to think. I'm a girl right now, I told myself. Get a grip. What difference does that make? - My randy psyche asked me back. I wished I had a reply to that.  
  
"What exactly do you want to do?" I asked impatiently. Akane looked taken aback at my sharp tone, but she was willing to explain.  
  
"We need to go to his room."  
  
******************************************************  
  
Zhang's room had guards outside the door. Luckily for us, I went in through the window. Akane stayed behind, despite many heated protests on her part. Finally, my argument that I couldn't take care of both her and the diamond convinced her. She knew she simply wasn't as accomplished as I was with window entries.  
  
In the end, it really wasn't that hard. I was in the room with little trouble, watching Zhang as he lay fat and naked in bed with two Chinese girls next to him. I made a face. Some parts of my job were just the pits. All three were deeply asleep. I prowled through the room, searching for the diamond. I could hear Zhang's guards murmuring outside.  
  
Wonder of wonders, I found the diamond on Zhang himself. It lay on a thin chain against his chest. I sneered at his sleeping face, neatly severed it and made my escape with little fanfare.  
  
"You found it!" Akane exclaimed as soon as she saw me.  
  
"How can you tell?" I asked, curious. The diamond was in my pocket.  
  
"I can feel it."  
  
****************************************************  
  
We were back at the airport, which was bustling despite that fact that it was 3 a.m. Calls for passengers and announcements for boarding, departures and arrivals added to the cacophony of the sleepy crowds of people claiming and sending off luggage or greeting relatives and friends.  
  
"I'm not losing it again," Akane muttered as we made our way to the Air India terminal. "Now we just have to find Sir Blaine and the mission is done!"  
  
Both of us had changed out of our maids' uniforms into casual clothes and I'd made use of some hot water to return to my male self. We came to a stop when we saw the pair waiting for us at the check-in line.  
  
The Yzma and Kronk* of China.  
  
"Those two are getting annoying," I said grimly. We couldn't avoid them. They'd seen us and they were obviously waiting for us. They were dressed quite differently now. Shampoo wore a charcoal gray business suit and her hair was braided back into a long, purple tail. Apparently she had had time to wash out the black dye. She was holding a slim briefcase. Beside her, Mousse wore a black suit with a chinese collar, his hair still clubbed back into the ponytail. He was smiling at Akane in a way that made me daydream about my fist buried in his face. Shampoo was staring at me.  
  
"Akane, Ranma, how nice to see you both so soon!" Mousse exclaimed in an all too cheery voice. Deck the bastard, my inner devil whispered. Akane, that blond chick, was smiling.  
  
"Hello, Mousse, Shampoo," she said in Chinese. "I bet you're not half as surprised to see us as we are to see you." Well, she wasn't a complete idiot, at least.  
  
"We've decided it's time to round up the Indian element of Zhang's associates," Mousse said suavely. Man, did the guy think he was a Chinese James Bond or something? I remembered what Sean Connery did to any girl that wandered into his path. Ain't no way he's touching Akane, old Nerima buddy or not, I swore mentally.  
  
"The man you mentioned earlier at the hotel, Kesari Dal. We've finally received evidence that he's the one who handles the goods Zhang sends to India." Shampoo's voice was cool as she spoke. I kept catching her looking at me. She was making me really uncomfortable.  
  
"Where exactly are you two headed?" I asked. India was a big country, and I could hope.  
  
"We're going to Chennai," Shampoo said, moving up as the line for checking in grew shorter. I cursed silently. That's where we were going. Hiro had said Blaine was right outside that city. I didn't want to travel with this pair. Both of them disturbed me in their own way, for completely different reasons.  
  
I watched as Shampoo turned away to hand the stewardess their passports. On the one hand, I was glad we had gotten the diamond. On the other hand, we still had to find Blaine. And on the third hand, Mousse was watching Akane like she was dessert tofu. Not to mention Zhang would be on our tail as soon as he discovered that we hadn't fallen for his little switch-the- diamond trick. I was running out of hands.  
  
"You're going to Chennai, too?" Mousse exclaimed. "How wonderful. We'll be travelling together." Akane had apparently disclosed our destination. I scotched my hasty plan of lying to them and then sitting as far from them on the plane as possible. Why did Akane have to be so truthful all the time? She was way too trusting for our line of work.  
  
It was our turn to get tickets and Mousse and Shampoo moved away as I handed the stewardess the required papers. She was cute in a freshly polished kind of way, with apple cheeks and a pert smile.  
  
"Mr. Saotome and Miss Tendo?" she reaffirmed our names, her smile dimming slightly when she saw Akane. She turned back to me and switch the smile on to full.  
  
"Where will you be travelling to, sir?" Her voice was perky and lilted as she spoke.  
  
"Two tickets for Chennai, please...." I glanced at her lapel. "......Lila. That's a very pretty name, Lila."  
  
"Thank you, Mr. Saotome," She blushed and smiled widely. "Business or pleasure?"  
  
I leaned in closer on the counter top, giving her the full Saotome effect. "What do you think?"  
  
She giggled and typed in information, her lashes fluttering. I felt a cold breeze behind me and turned to see Akane and what I swore was a blue aura coming off her in waves. She looked mad as hell. I grinned to myself. Yeah, I'd made her mad on purpose, because stoking her temper was one way of getting even with the stubborn bitch.  
  
I turned back and continued to flirt with Lila as she found us seats and handed me our boarding passes. By this time, Akane had stalked off and when I left the line I found her chattering away to Mousse. A little away from them, Shampoo looked lost in thought.  
  
Akane turned as she saw me approach and hooked her arm around Mousse's elbow. "Boarding is in an hour, so Mousse and I are going to get a coffee," she tossed saucily over her shoulder at me as they walked off. Shampoo gave me a slightly helpless look, and my gentlemanly instincts came rushing to the fore. Yeah, I really have some.  
  
However, this being Shampoo, and me being fond of my skin, I was quick to stomp on those instincts.  
  
Somehow, I still ended up with her arm in mine as we walked behind Akane and Mousse. All the time we were heading towards the food court Akane spent in animated discussion with Mousse. I was glaring at them when Shampoo placed her other hand on my arm.  
  
"You deserve so much better."  
  
"Huh?" Puzzled, I looked down at her and she stared up at me through large, lovely eyes shadowed with maturity. Her face had lost its baby fat and it was now heart-shaped, fulfilling the promise of her youthful beauty. She wasn't quite so annoying when she wasn't bashing me with her bicycle, I decided.  
  
"Akane broke your heart once, Ranma," she said in that incredibly direct way of hers. "Are you here to let her do it again?"  
  
I winced. Were my emotions on naked display here? Back in Nerima, I had felt like I was on the Harry Truman show, where everyone knew every single detail of Harry/Ranma's love life. I didn't have to deal with that any longer.  
  
"Shampoo, this isn't what you think," I said. "Akane and I are working together on a purely professional basis."  
  
"Oh, really." She gave me a who-are-you-kidding look. Still, my conscience was clear. We really HAD met up by accident. And Shampoo knew I couldn't lie with a straight face. She searched my face carefully and then sighed. She looked away.  
  
Luckily for my patience, the plane to Chennai arrived early and we were able to board fairly quickly. If I'd had to sit and watch Akane smile and swing her long, slim leg from her bar stool and flirt with Mousse for another minute, I wouldn't have been responsible for the consequences. The guy was really starting to eat at my nerves.  
  
We landed in Chennai a few hours later. After the clean carpets, the innumerable check-in and immigration counters at Shanghai, Chennai airport seemed incredibly cramped and crowded, the floors a uniform marble grey, the crush of international humanity overwhelming. After an interminable wait for Shampoo's luggage, we stepped out into the hot sunshine of the airport's exit.  
  
Shampoo and Mousse decided to share a cab with us, so we got directions to the railway station where Akane and I would board a train to Egmore, where Blaine was ostensibly to be found. I sure hoped the bugger was there. Even my fit body was getting tired from all the jet lag.  
  
Luckily for us, everyone we met spoke excellent English, and soon we were at the Egmore train station where the express train would take us to Egmore town.  
  
"What in the world is an express train?" asked Shampoo. We still hadn't disclosed the object of our trip to India, and Shampoo and Mousse, being the good special agents that they were, were doing their best to find out.  
  
"It travels non-stop once you are on board," said the man who was selling us tickets. "Between Chennai and Egmore there are two smaller towns. The Express will not stop anywhere until you reach Egmore. Then it will travel non-stop across the state line into Kerala."  
  
Finally, it looked like we were going to ditch our Chinese friends. Even Akane was looking antsy, now that we were almost in sight of our goal. Her replies to Mousse's queries and comments were short and terse, and she was looking at me again.  
  
"There they are! Arrest them!" A police officer in khaki uniform pointed straight at us. No, not at us. Three men standing next to us, wearing thick wool sweaters, shawls and cotton pajamas. The men spoke quickly in the native language and released their shawls to reveal sub automatic guns strapped to their shoulders.  
  
"Damn!" I muttered, trying to become invisible. Why did we always seem to put our feet right into it? As people on the platform began to notice the men, screams and shrieks of fear filled the air. One of the men barked out some sort of command in, what was it- I jogged my geographic memory- oh yeah, tamil, and most of the people on the platform seemed to understand. They began to go to their knees, and then fell flat on the cement ground, pulling their hands over their heads.  
  
I was thinking of doing the same when one of the policemen behind the officer shot one of the three men. He fell with a cry and pandemonium ensued. People began to scream in earnest, running pell-mell through the platform.  
  
The Express let out a whoosh and began to move. Damn, I didn't want to miss the train because of local histrionics! I looked around and saw Akane, being held up by Mousse.  
  
"Let's go, Akane!" I yelled in Chinese.  
  
She propelled herself forward and I caught her arm. Together, we raced for the open train entrance, straining as the train gained speed. In the melee, I lost my grasp on Akane's arm momentarily and reaching out, quickly found it again. With Herculean effort, I heaved and pulled her and myself on board. We sat on our hands and knees on the train floor, gasping as the train pulled out of the station. Behind us, I could still hear the shouts of the people on the platform. I hoped they sorted it out. I wasn't too worried about Mousse and Shampoo. They knew how to take care of themselves.  
  
"Whew! You just keep getting me into some kind of trouble or the other, don't you?" I slowly eased my breathing back to normal.  
  
"You think so?"  
  
My horrified gaze shot up to find Shampoo beside me on the train floor, giving me a quizzical look.  
  
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A/N- Haha, yes, poor Akane has been left behind! Oh, no, what now?  
  
Something to note- I have changed around some flight routes for the purposes of this story. And, I have nothing against blondes. It just sounded like something Ranma would say. :) * Yzma and Kronk are the evil villainess and her loyal sidekick from Disney's The Emperor's New Groove.  
  
In the next chapter- Akane is left behind with Mousse. How will she get to Egmore? And can she really trust Mousse to keep his hands to himself? 


	16. Easy Come, Easy Go

Author's Notes: Well, some of you pointed out that I left out a scene towards the end of this chapter.. That's true, and I apologize.It's completely my fault. I just rushed through the last bit as I was in a hurry to get to my appointed stopping place. -_-' Very, very sorry about that. So here's the updated version below. It's mostly the same, except I added a scene on the train.  
  
And Sterling-Ag, Oyuki, may, Shadow Knight and Ryoushu- I love you guys, your reviews are SO uplifting, even the c&C parts(thanks esp for that). I know from reviewing how hard it is to write what you like about the story and the writing, so you guys are SO appreciated! It really helps when I know what you guys want to see in the story.  
  
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Mousse and I stared wide-eyed after the departing train.  
  
"Grrr, that Shampoo!" I growled hotly, clenching my fists and staring after the departing train as though I could see through the metal compartments. I felt a hot stinging behind my eyes as fury swept through me.  
  
That, that hussy! That BITCH! She'd taken off with Ranma! Some things never changed! And as for Ranma...well! I wanted to stomp the idiot into the ground and I would have if he hadn't already been half a mile away on a train ALONE with the whore of Babylon. I tried to rein in my temper.  
  
"Watch out, Akane!" Mousse threw his weight against me from behind, sending me flying to the ground. A bullet whizzed past, just missing us. The cement floor of the train platform grazed my stomach and ribs as I stopped our slide with my palms. Bullets continued to zing overhead. The police had taken cover behind a cement pillar and were trying to take out the three locals with the submachine guns.  
  
Mousse had untied his hair on the plane, and now it fell like long, soft ribbons of darkness around us as he lay over me protectively , muting the sounds of gunfire, covering us with the illusion of a silken tent. Lying on my tummy, I turned my head slightly, trying to see him out of the corner of my eye. I could feel his warm breath against the back of my neck.  
  
I could feel all 140 pounds of him.  
  
"Ouch," I grumbled against the concrete floor. "Mousse, you're a dead weight."  
  
"Shut up, Tendo. I'm thinking."  
  
I could smell blood now. Someone was injured or dead. I knew southern India wasn't generally a violent place, but we just seemed to attract violence. I listened as someone shouted something close by, but I didn't speak the language.  
  
"Okay, here we go," Mousse muttered.  
  
"What are you doi-?" I began, when Mousse grabbed my upper arms and rolled sideways, taking me with him. Our limbs were still tangled together from the fall and I yipped as we kept turning and the cold cement floor again dug into my ribs and elbows.  
  
There was a brief sensation of falling, and then we landed somewhere muddy and hard.  
  
"Oof!"  
  
"Ouch!" My saviour gritted through clenched teeth. "You're no feather yourself, Tendo!"  
  
Mousse had taken the brunt of the fall, making sure I'd landed on him. I raised my head and looked around. He'd rolled us right off the platform edge and onto the railway tracks. Above us, the locals obliviously continued their battle. I looked back down at Mousse.  
  
"I think we're safe now," Mousse commented, staring up into my eyes. He still held me loosely cradled in his arms, and I was suddenly aware of our position. Blushing, I sat up and brushed at my jeans. Was Mousse hitting on me? Holy Casanovas, Batman.  
  
"Good job, Mousse," I said, trying for a normal tone of voice. I switched my attention to the battle going on above us. I was concerned about the innocent passengers on the platform. "We should do something about that." I nodded towards the platform, deciding that a shift of focus was best.  
  
"It shouldn't be hard," the Chinese boy replied with a smirk. As I watched, a length of chain flew out of his sleeve, wrapping itself around all three of the villains at one go. They cried out in anger and astonishment, unable to immediately tell where the chain had appeared from.  
  
"I think the police can take it from here," Mousse said, smiling. He grabbed my hand. "Time to catch up with Shampoo and Ranma." He pulled me along the rail track until it evened out to the end of the platform.  
  
A bicycle stand and a couple of motorbikes stood there. A guy was just starting up his bike when Mousse sent out another length of chain and yanked the guy off.  
  
"Sorry," I cried, as Mousse hopped on the bike and pulled me up behind him. "Here, we'll pay for it!" I yanked out a few hundred-dollar bills from my wallet and tossed them at the astonished man on the ground. Yeah, it was mercenary, but I wasn't willing to let Ranma and Shampoo spend a minute more together than they absolutely had to.  
  
Mousse hit the throttle and with a roar the bike leapt onto the road, creating a wind that whipped my hair away from my face and that plastered my t-shirt to my chest, making the material balloon behind me. Mousse's hair hit me in the face, too.  
  
It was like a black banner for a Clairol ad.  
  
I clenched the bike with my thighs and shoved his hair away with both hands, doing my best to tuck it over his shoulder. Mousse glanced at me slightly with a grin.  
  
"Where are we going?" I yelled over the wind.  
  
"We're following the train tracks!" Mousse yelled back, pointing at the tracks going parallel with us. "We should catch up with the train soon!"  
  
I looked at the dash of the bike over his shoulder. The needle on the speedometer was climbing. The country around us was mostly farmland, with uncultivated belts of forest and scrub. We passed a pond with a few water buffalo lazing chewing cud deep in the water and slim women in colorful saris washing clothes. They looked startled as we whizzed by. Here and there, straw and mud huts dotted the landscape.  
  
An hour passed. Despite the picturesque scenery, I was starting to get bored. I knew that it would take time to catch up with the train, and I had been hoping that Ranma and Shampoo would have jumped off the train by now. I wondered if Mousse was being a little optimistic. The countryside was only bound to get rougher from here.  
  
*******************************************************  
  
"Another fine mess you've gotten us into, Stanley," I muttered. Beside me, Shampoo looked puzzled.  
  
"What did you say, Ranma?" she said.  
  
"Never mind," I replied grouchily. "Why in the world didn't you warn me that you weren't Akane when I grabbed your hand?"  
  
Shampoo and I were walking the length of the train, trying to find a way off. All the exits were closed, which wasn't that much of a problem on an Indian train, except that Indian police were standing guard at each exit. Presumably, they had been waiting to ambush the three stooges from the platform. This made me worry about Akane all over again. I was supposed to be her bodyguard, dammit. What a dumb mistake to make!  
  
"Well, I did not want to be left behind to be slaughtered," Shampoo muttered.  
  
"That's why you left Mousse behind, hm?" I couldn't believe her. The chick was as selfish as ever. I couldn't figure out why Akane was jealous over a bit of fluff like her.  
  
I checked the next exit. No luck. We moved on. I was debating over pulling the emergency stop as a last resort, but I didn't want to bring special attention to us if I could avoid it.  
  
Shampoo flushed and muttered something.  
  
"What's that? Speak up, woman. I can't hear you."  
  
"I SAID- Mousse can well take care of himself, and Akane too, if you are still worrying about her."  
  
Yeah, that was supposed to make me feel better. Yeah.  
  
"Though I do not see why you ARE worried about her," Shampoo went on. "She is not for you, Ranma. You can see, if you wait till the train reaches your destination, what is it, Egmore, you can both of you meet up there." She gave a careless shrug. "This interruption, it is not such a problem."  
  
"I'm responsible for her safety, Shampoo." You pest, I silently added.  
  
"What about MY safety, Ranma?" Shampoo asked, running her hand down my arm. "Don't you remember that night before you left Nerima? What we had--"  
  
"I'm being paid to guard Akane, Shampoo," I clarified, and watched relief settle over her features, knowing I would squelch that relief with no guilt. "And what we had that night was-"  
  
We had nearly reached the end of the train, and I stopped.  
  
"Look," I said, seeing the answer to our problems. Oh, wait, my problem. I had the distinct feeling that Shampoo would have happily stayed on the train if I'd let her. Screw that. I headed for the small window set high in the ceiling that was going to be my salvation.  
  
**********************************************  
  
The countryside was passing by at a satisfying blur and I started to feel like we were going to catch up with the train soon. And then I did catch sight of it, the tail end at least.  
  
"There it is!" I shouted in excitement, half rising in my seat.  
  
"Sit down, Akane," Mousse ordered.  
  
I subsided, but I was feeling energetic again.  
  
"Oh, no!" cried Mousse suddenly.  
  
I saw what Mousse was seeing and my breath left my lungs in a rush of fear. A few yards ahead of us, a chasm yawned in the ground. Actually, it was a creek cutting deep into the ground, but the train's tracks were built on a bridge crossing it and they enabled the train to pass over without trouble.  
  
Mousse and I wouldn't find it so easy.  
  
"Hold on!" Mousse bent over the bike and I could feel his attention focusing hard on the drop.  
  
I grabbed on tight, noting in passing that Mousse had a very nice back. I could feel the smooth muscles tensing beneath my arms as he stepped on the throttle and the bike reared up and shot forward like our tail was on fire.  
  
He was going to try and jump the canyon. I held on, keeping my eyes open with sheer willpower. Being martial artists, there was little chance that either Mousse or I would be seriously injured if the bike fell into the creek, but that little chance still had me breaking out into a cold sweat.  
  
I knew the exact moment when our wheels left the ground. I clutched Mousse hard like he was a lifebuoy, pressing my face so deep into his back that I think his spine left an impression on my cheek. The bike soared over the gap as I feverishly calculated trajectories in my head, and landed with a bone-jarring thud on the sandy ground on the other side. I wanted to sigh in relief, but I had no breath left.  
  
Mousse was laughing, the stupid adrenaline junkie.  
  
"Look, Akane!"  
  
I peeled myself off his back and looked.  
  
Ahead of us, I could see the train; we were getting closer to it now. That's when I saw Ranma and Shampoo hanging off a ladder on the side of the train, getting ready to jump off. Ranma looked up and saw us, then stopped Shampoo from jumping.  
  
Mousse increased his speed and soon we were almost level with them. The noise of the train was so loud we couldn't hear anything they were saying. Ranma looked at me and made an exaggerated come-hither motion with his hands. What was he trying to say? He wanted me to jump onto the train?  
  
I realized it made sense. The train WAS going to Egmore, our destination, and leaving Mousse and Shampoo the bike would give them a mode of transport also. Well, I HOPED Shampoo was going on the bike. If Ranma didn't push her off, my foot was perfectly ready to help her along.  
  
He stopped and yelled something at Shampoo. She yelled back at him and Ranma shook his head. He looked at me and pointed ahead. I saw the outline of a long bridge. Oh, no. A river was coming up. Mousse and I would never be able to cross that!  
  
Mousse had seen it, too.  
  
"You'll have to get closer to the train," I shouted in his ear. "I'm going to jump on!"  
  
Mousse slowly brought the bike closer, veering away slightly now and then, until finally it was steady beneath me. I brought my feet up and crouched on the seat of the bike like a small monkey, balancing carefully. Ranma held his arm out, waiting to catch me.  
  
Judging as best I could, I picked the moment and jumped. A sickening sense of nausea crashed through me as the bike fell away from me and my legs arced in mid-air for an instant. Then, Ranma's strong arms were around me. My feet found purchase on the ladder that Ranma and Shampoo were hanging from.  
  
Now I could hear what Ranma was yelling.  
  
"It's time, Shampoo!"  
  
"Wait, Ranma.."  
  
Without waiting to hear the rest, he peeled an angry Shampoo off the train and tossed her away. I gasped and realized that the train was now crossing over the river's bridge. I watched as Shampoo fell into the river, disappeared underwater and then a spitting, hissing cat slowly surfaced and swam to the shore where Mousse had brought the bike to a stop.  
  
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Mousse regarded the shivering Shampoo sitting across from him wearing nothing but his jacket. He'd fished some of her clothes out of the river and they were drying on bushes nearby. He stoked the fire he'd built a little higher.  
  
"Thought you had found your opportunity to have Ranma alone, eh?" he said genially, smiling into the flames.  
  
"He wouldn't listen to anything I had to say!" Shampoo raged. "He was worried about Akane. Stubborn boy!"  
  
"He didn't listen to you in Nerima," Mousse watched his partner. "What makes you think he is any different now?"  
  
"I don't like giving up," Shampoo muttered. "You know that."  
  
"Looks like you're stuck with me for the night again," her companion said mildly.  
  
Shampoo looked up, and then a calculating look entered her wide, lovely eyes. She looked away and said in a completely different tone, "I'm very cold, Mousse."  
  
He stood and walked around the fire, sitting down next to her and putting his arms around her. He caught her chin and tilted it up.  
  
"Let's see what we can do about that," he said, raising her lips to his.  
  
***********************************************************  
  
Finally back on track, Ranma and I climbed back inside the train. Luckily, no one had noticed all the shenanigans going on. The train was half empty at this time of day. We found an empty compartment and settled in like good passengers until we could get down at Egmore.  
  
I stared out the window silently. Ranma was watching me. He looked nervous.  
  
"Okay," he said. "Go ahead an' hit me. I know you want to."  
  
I gave him a frosty look.  
  
"Where's your mallet anyway?" he asked. "Did you get an upgrade?"  
  
"Don't be silly."  
  
"A rocket launcher?"  
  
"Dream on."  
  
"Lemme guess. Some poor guy is walking around with your mallet up his-"  
  
"Ranma!"  
  
He grinned. I scowled at him, which only made him grin harder.  
  
"I don't know what you're mad about," he said. "You and Mousse looked very chummy together."  
  
I blushed. I couldn't help it. All sorts of bad, bad thoughts went through my head, and Ranma saw them. Like quicksilver, the mood in the tiny compartment changed. Somehow, without even opening my mouth, I was suddenly on the defensive and Ranma was on the attack. A predatory light came into his eyes, and the compartment began to feel airless.  
  
"What happened?" he asked.  
  
"Nuh..nothing," I stammered, cursing my hot cheeks.  
  
Ranma leaned forward, his gaze fixed on me. I felt like a butterfly pinned to earth by a scalpel, helplessly fluttering, trapped.  
  
"You're....attracted to him," he whispered disbelievingly. "You're attracted to Mousse."  
  
"No!" I exclaimed, feeling like my head was laid open to his probing inspection. It was a highly uncomfortable feeling. "What's it to you, anyway?"  
  
Ranma stood up.  
  
I stared up at him, my throat dry and my heart thudding in my breast.  
  
He moved, and before I could grasp what was happening, he'd sat down next to me and pulled me into his lap all in one movement. I gasped at the sudden closeness, and the feel of his arms around me, supporting me, encircling me, trapping me.  
  
"I think you need to be reminded of a few things," Ranma said.  
  
"Oh, yeah?" I demanded with more bravado than sense. "And what the hell would those be?"  
  
"This," He replied. He leaned down and caught my lips with his. His mouth was warm and intimate, demanding obedience and submission. My body began to throb from the breathtaking pressure of the kiss.  
  
"And this," he murmured against my lips, slipping his hand beneath my t- shirt and sliding it over the soft skin of my torso to curve his strong fingers around one breast. My mind shut down in an instant. My breath caught in my throat, and a sensation like warm honey began pooling in my belly.  
  
"And definitely this," he said against my jawline as he began to press soft kisses down my throat. One of his hands was splayed against my back, holding me securely, even as his other hand caressed my breast and his thumb flicked the nipple in a way that sent a thread of fire directly from that point to my already overheated nerves. My brain began to fire erratic bolts of electricity, frying my neurons so that I felt as though Ranma's kisses were sizzling along my nerve endings. I began to shake, unable to assimilate the sudden and overwhelming sensations. A wave of incredible pleasure washed through me, and I stiffened in his arms, my head thrown back as I rode the feeling to its completion.  
  
Afterwards, I lay limp in his arms, too content and sleepy to move.  
  
This feeling so dwarfed what I'd felt for Mousse that I forgot about the green-eyed boy, which I guess was exactly what my partner intended. When he raised his head a few moments later, he searched my face carefully, and the look of satisfied male pride that spread through his eyes and showed in his grin made my hand itch to slap him. Or myself.  
  
He tucked my head under his chin and continued to cuddle me, and I was too embarrassed to protest. In fact, I was too embarrassed to do anything but close my eyes and let my thoughts run riot for the rest of the trip.  
  
The small town of Egmore only had a limited number of hostels where guests could stay. We ignored the tension vibrating between us and setoff on our search for Sir Blaine. We struck gold at the third hostel.  
  
"Yes, we have a white man, a British man, staying here," the young receptionist told us in excellent, if accented English. "Room 315."  
  
I knocked on the scarred door of Room 315 with anticipation. Finally, was I getting to the end of this mad adventure? If this was really Sir Blaine, all I had to do was hand him the bag and go.  
  
A tall man in rumpled linen clothes opened the door. He held a sawed off shotgun in his hands, cocked and pointed.  
  
"Yes?" he asked, glaring at us suspiciously.  
  
"Sir Blaine?" I knew it was him. I'd seen his photo.  
  
He stiffened. "Who wants to know?" I sympathized with his suspicion. Ranma and I didn't fit the mold of the local south Indians, and he was bound to be suspicious of anyone who showed up that he didn't recognize. "I'm Akane Tendo," I explained. "I am a Courier." I said it with a capital 'C'.  
  
"A...a Courier?" Sir Blaine relaxed immediately. "Ah, I see. You have a package for me?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Oh. Good job, Miss Tendo. Please, come in."  
  
Ranma and I followed him into the small, well-aired room.  
  
"It was quite a feat for you to find me after I spent time covering my tracks. I'm impressed." He scrutinized me carefully, and then did the same with Ranma who was standing nonchalantly behind me. "But of course, your firm is very well recommended by people I trust."  
  
The man looked old enough to be my grandfather, but something about his tall, spare form told me he could be dangerous. There was a glint in his grey eyes that said you had to think twice before messing with him.  
  
"Thank you, sir," I inclined my head regally, trying to look professional in jeans, standing in a small rented room. Fortunately, I'd had lots of practice looking professional in all sorts of places.  
  
"Now, where's the diamond?"  
  
"Here it-," I began, reaching into my bag. My fingers encountered empty space. A familiar sinking sensation ran through me. The diamond was missing. But how? How?  
  
Then I remembered Mousse, embracing me at the railway station.  
  
"That son of a bitch!"  
  
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^_^ Well well, looks like Mousse and Shampoo aren't out of the story just yet. Please click that lil' button down there and review. Do let me know what you guys thought of the added scene. 


	17. Wild Goose Chases

DISCLAIMER: I disclaim that Ranma and co belong to me. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi.  
  
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Chapter 17- Wild Goose Chases

I stood in Sir Blaine's hotel room, taking deep breaths as the red fog of rage slowly cleared from my vision. Mousse, that double-crosser! It looked like at any given time either I had the diamond or I had Blaine- one or the other. What did it take to bring them into that same small area of space and time long enough that I could discharge my duty, complete my task, collect my fat paycheck and move the bloody hell on??  
  


I imagined blowing out green noxious anger and breathing in sweet, clean pink calm.  
The edges of my eyes weren't burning anymore, so I looked up to see Ranma and Sir Blaine regarding me cautiously. It was all Ranma's fault. I'd worked fine alone for years. Now he had come in and messed up my hormones so that I found even Mousse attractive and let that blind Chinese pipsqueak steal…STEAL...!  
  


I focused. Greeeeeen out...pink in...greeeeen out…piiink in...

There. That felt a little better.  
  


"Sir Blaine, there's been a slight hitch," I said, moving him further into the room. "Just a hiccup, really, a slight change of plans. I...don't have the diamond with me at the moment." I held up a hand as he started to speak. "Don't worry, it's quite safe." Or so I hoped, at least.  
Blaine looked suspicious. Who could blame him? I had to distract him, fast.

"Could I bother you for a cup of tea?" I asked.  
  


"Tea?" His eyes lit up. Trust the British to get all excited about their teatime. "Ah, yes, my apologies. I should have offered some immediately. They have wonderful tea here in India." He bustled off to his little kitchenette, then paused and looked over his shoulder. "You come VERY highly recommended, Ms. Tendo."

I nodded. So he wasn't really oblivious at all. The message was clear. He was allowing me to talk to Ranma for a few seconds, for which I was grateful.  
Ranma was looking confused and trying not to show it.

"You've screwed up somewhere, haven't you Akane?" he demanded. "You lost the diamond."

"I didn't...lose it," I hissed, taking his arm and leading him to the farthest corner of the room, as far from the kitchenette as we could get. "Mousse stole it from me."

"Mousse...?" Ranma stared at me for a spilt second before he began to laugh helplessly. "Hahahahaha…Mousse…stole…!" He laughed until he was doubled over. I glared at him through narrowed eyes.

"Mousse stole the diamond…from you?" Ranma went off into gales of laughter again. The only good thing about it was I hoped all that laughter was reassuring Sir Blaine. I heard Ranma snort the phrase 'talk about romancing the stone' and had to pinch my nostrils shut with my thumb and forefinger before I gave in to the urge to belt him a good one.

"I'm going after him," I said, and had the glowing satisfaction of seeing Ranma turn sober instantly.

"What do you mean 'I'?" he asked suspiciously.

"I mean, you-," I tapped a fingertip against his shirt with emphasis. "-are going to stay and guard Sir Blaine."

"You want me to baby-sit Alan Quatermain here?" Ranma asked. He smirked. "I don't think so, Ms. Tendo. I was hired as your bodyguard, not Blaine's. You-" He took great pleasure in poking a finger against MY chest, I could tell. "…are my responsibility." Like you've always been, his fierce gaze seemed to say.

I was getting ready to argue that when suddenly there was a crash of glass and a startled cry from Blaine. Ranma and I stared at each other for a split second before we spun and ran for the kitchenette.

But it was too late. The glass of the kitchen window was broken and the small room was empty. We raced for the window and looked outside to see the back door of a black sedan swing shut and the car pull away from the curb. The glass was simply too shattered for us to climb through the window and clearing it away for both of us to climb through would have taken too long.

"Ranma!" I grabbed my partner's arm to get his attention as he stared after the disappearing car. "You have to go after Blaine and whoever kidnapped him! We _have_ to split up!" I tried to stare him into it, willing him not to fight me on this one. "You know you'll be faster without me. We can't afford to lose him again, you know that." My tone was high and ragged. Forcing my voice to a calmer level, I continued. "I've got to get the Mogul back. You have to get Blaine back!"

Ranma stared at me for a split second and I could see him weighing the options at a frightening speed.

"All right," he said. "You win this one, but I'm going to collect on it. When you find Mousse, call me at this number." He scribbled a phone number on a piece of paper.

"You have a cell phone?" I asked. Ranma grabbed and wrapped a dishtowel around his hand and began clearing the glass from the window.

"No," he said. "I'll rent one." He turned and grabbed my face with his free hand, gave me a hard kiss. "Watch yourself." He hopped onto the window and out into the street. I watched him go, knowing he would get Blaine somehow. Getting the diamond back was up to me.  
  
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In the end, tracking Mousse down wasn't as hard as I'd expected. Shampoo had mentioned that they had finally collected enough evidence to bust Kesari Dal. Ashish, the Indian officer had said that the man was based in Calcutta.

As I dozed off on my Calcutta-bound flight, I thought again about my case. Ranma and I certainly owed Kesari Dal for his goons trying to crush our windpipes in as soon as we had landed in Shanghai. I rubbed my throat lightly. Yeah, I was looking forward to meeting him. I closed my eyes, dreaming of that meeting. Sleep edged in.

The nightmare came slowly. I stood on my porch, sixteen again as Ranma stared at me sadly, rage tamped down in his eyes.

_"Goodbye, Akane," he said._

_A single maple leaf danced in the air and came to settle near my ankle. I stared at it. When I looked up, Ranma was gone and Nabiki was standing in front of me._

_"Goodbye, Akane," she said, laughing lightly. She turned and faded slowly._

_"Wait....onee-chan?" I said in Japanese, moving forward in an attempt to stop her. Her school pinafore faded last._

_"Good bye, Akane." I spun around, and Kasumi stood as I'd last seen her, at the airport, smiling and waving. Guilt filled me. Why hadn't I stayed?_

_"Good bye, Kasumi." I spun again, and saw Dr. Tofu. He was smiling and waving at Kasumi._

_"Now that's not right," I muttered. "You never said good-bye to Kasumi, you bastard."_

_Tofu just kept waving. Then he turned to me._

_"Us men, we just like to leave," he said._

_"That's not true," I cried through clenched teeth. "I betrayed Ranma. That's why he left."_

_"If he really loved you, he would have trusted you," Tofu's image grinned gently, nastily. "He would have left in the end. All men leave, Akane, you know that. And now you're chasing one. So what if he's a duck? It's just another wild goose chase, Akane."_

"Get away from me! Liar! Liar!" I began to cry. "You lied to my sister, you creep!"

"Ma'am?"

I jerked awake. I blinked, and discovered that my eyes were wet. Angrily, I blinked them again, refusing to dignify them by swiping them away with my hand.

"Ma'am?" I looked up at the pretty flight attendant in her sari, who was pushing a cart of snacks. "Are you all right? Would you like a drink?"

"Thank you, yes. I'm fine," I muttered meaningless nonsense as I pushed memories to the bottom of my mind. I snagged a bag of chips and a Coke from the flight attendant and determinedly munched on the chips, then followed it with a long, life-restoring drink of Coke. The fizzy bubbles in the drink stung my roof of my mouth and woke me up.

"Focus, Akane," I whispered to myself. Where was Mousse most likely to be? I needn't have worried.

Once the plane landed, I tracked him down with almost embarrassing ease. I called up a contact who gave me the name of a guy who could tell me the name of a police officer I could tag for help. A quick jaunt to the police station and I found my contact, a slim Indian officer in her early thirties, dressed in a khaki uniform.

"You're a friend of Matthai?" she asked, examining me curiously as we went out to her standard issue vehicle. My blue t-shirt and jeans, and short, dark hair gave me the look of an inexperienced young girl, I knew. Well, that wasn't her problem. 

"I'm a friend of a friend," I said, with a quick smile.

"And you are searching for Kesari Dal," she said doubtfully. "You know there's a reason we haven't been able to pull him in. He has a lot of power in the ghetto areas here."

"I'm not bringing him in," I explained. "My friends are looking for him, and wherever Dal is, they will be too." I didn't mention I had my own little vendetta against the man.

"Hmm," she said, and drove. Twenty minutes later, the houses had grown smaller and the area was obviously poorer. Small kids ran around, playing. Then it got even worse. Bharati, the officer, stopped the car.

"He works in this area," she said. "You'll find him within a square kilometer."

"Thanks," I said, getting out of the car.

"Are you sure you will be all right?" she asked worriedly.

I smiled. Sweet of her to care. "I'll be fine, really."

Even as I was talking, the bust began. Chinese and Indian police officers began pouring into a building.

"Well, there you go," I said. Bharati stared, an irritated look on her face. "It's not my jurisdiction," she said, "Nevertheless, I should report to my superior."

She drove off on a squeal of rubber. I turned to watch men in local clothing try to escape Mousse's men. There was lots of yelling and running and shooting.  
By the time I leisurely walked over to the building, the raid was over. Mousse came out holding a man in front io him. This must be the infamous Dal, I mused.

I sauntered up to Mousse, who saw me almost immediately and began looking wary. Shampoo was nowhere in sight.

"Akane," he said.

"Mousse," I said. I nodded at the man he held in a tight grip. "Mr. Dal, I take it?"

The man looked to be in his late forties, and the effect of alcohol and other substances he'd used to abuse his body were quite evident in his wasted, pudgy features. His dark eyes were cruel as he stared down at petite lil' me.

"You're the guy who sent those goons after my bodyguard and me, aren't you?" I asked. He spat at me and I avoided the spit just barely. "You tried to kill us, didn't you?"

He snorted. "Did you think I was playing, little girl?"

I drew my fist back and punched him hard, putting some of my rage into it. His head snapped back and he sagged in Mousse's arms. The green-eyed duckboy lowered Dal to the ground, then kicked him once in the ribs. Dal didn't move.

"Tie him up!" Mousse shouted at a flunky. He turned to me, smiling. "Akane, you sure have a..."

I sucker punched him. Twice in five seconds made my fist sting, but it was well worth it. I enjoyed every second of feeling Mousse's cheek give way beneath my knuckles as his face swung to the side. Then I punched him with the other fist. I think he let me that time.

"Mousse, you double-crossing, jewel-stealing, schmoozing son-of-a...!" I took a deep breath. "You stupid…_duck_!"

Mousse came up grinning, his palms out in a pacifying gesture. He had a split lip and a bruised cheek and his eye would blacken soon. Somehow he still managed to be charming, the ingratiating bastard.

"Now, now Akane," he said soothingly. "What's upset you?"

"What's upset me?!" I screeched. I heard myself, and pitched my voice a little lower. I had an uncomfortable recollection of screeching at Ranma, too. "Where's my diamond, you thief?"

He didn't waste time trying to deny it. "I don't have it on me, if that's what you're wondering," he said, still grinning, his green eyes sparkling with humour. "You traced me fast."

"It wasn't hard," I grumbled. I was trying to think up a good excuse to belt him again. He'd bruised my pride, stealing from me and trying to seduce me while doing it.

Mousse looked concerned. "I didn't steal it, Akane. I just borrowed it."

"Forgive my disbelieving look," I said, shortly. "It's hard to believe someone who felt you up to steal from you."

That glint was back in his eyes. "I certainly could have gotten the diamond without feeling you up," he said, his voice like warm butter. "Feeling you up was just a perk."

"Perk this," I snapped, and drove my foot into his knee. He gasped and fell to one knee, trying to regain balance. One of his officers who had been watching us came running, but Mousse waved him away.

"I deserved that," he grated out. He spit blood. "But Zhang wants the diamond, and I want Zhang. It's quite simple."

"I don't care, Mousse." I folded my arms. It was past time to get out of here. "I'm not an officer of the law. I don't have to worry about Zhang."

Mousse stood slowly, and now his smile was a little less friendly. "I'm so glad you reminded me of that, Akane. I AM an officer of the law, and as said officer of the law of the Republic of China, I have the ability to hold and question anyone who obstructs my path to justice and the criminal who...."

"Oh, save it, Mousse, you're giving me a headache." I could see what was coming. His smiles hadn't worked, so he was going to use the power of red tape.

"You know the government of India would be very interested in knowing that what is rightly a national treasure, a diamond of one of their emperors, is being privately sold."

"You don't know that," I said, ignoring the twinge of guilt in my stomach. I didn't need him to tell me that they would _also_ be interested in the person who was doing the delivering. I tried to avoid such interest from governments. "I'm just delivering it."

"Feel free," Mousse said, "AFTER we take care of Zhang."

"Why on earth do you need the diamond, anyway?" I asked. "Weren't you simply going to go to the location Shampoo would discover and catch him with all his smuggled goods?"

"That was the original plan," said Mousse, frowning.

"It was a fine plan, a good plan," I said. "There's nothing wrong with it." I paused. "Ok, what went wrong with the plan?"

" Well, I only borrowed the diamond as insurance, you know. Plan B, so to speak."

I gave him a withering glance. "What. Went. Wrong," I gritted out. "With Plan A?"  
  
"Shampoo went back to her role as a prostitute. She was ready to tell us where to find Zhang, but somehow she was discovered. I found out right before my raid on Dal." Mousse took a deep breath. I could see that losing Shampoo troubled him. "I had to set up a deal with Zhang via webcam, show him the diamond, let him know I was willing to sell it back to him before I tried someone else."

"And?"

"He told me to meet him in Lhasa."

"Lhasa?" I slow-blinked. "That's his secret hidey-hole. You found it."

"He's expecting me there tomorrow. Which means I have to get there tonight, if possible. Flights to Lhasa are only once a week and the weekly flight is tomorrow."

"Did you requisition a police plane or something?"

Mousse smiled tightly. "It's the only way we get an element of surprise."

"We?" I asked.

"I could use you with me," Mousse said.

Before I could argue, he said, "Help me catch Zhang, and I'll return the diamond, fair and square. We'll have to save Shampoo and catch Zhang."

I pretended I was thinking for a moment. We'd all seen that coming a mile away. "Well, okay. When are you leaving?"

"If permission comes through, in about an hour," he said.

"I need to make a call," I said.  
  
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A/N-Another long weekend, another chapter!! Well, as y'all can see, looks like the showdown at Lhasa will be the big finale! I think another couple chapters or three will wrap this story up! Whew! I can't believe I'm so close to finishing it! All thanks to my reviewers, who are the single biggest reason I continued this story, otherwise I'd have stopped at ch 5. -_-'

  
  



	18. The Ice Palace

A/N: Well, this is a bit of a filler chapter, even though the plot does go forward. Some hints of Akane/Mousse again. ^_^ I just can't seem to help putting them into those situations, even though I'm firmly pro Ranma/Akane! I could have made it longer, but I'll try to update again soon. I just wanted to put something up to show I'm still writing! :)

DISCLAIMER: Ranma & co. don't belong to me. But a Ranma wedding poster does!

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Chapter 18- The Ice Palace

I watched the snowy peaks of the Himalayas loom ahead of us out of the small, dirty window of the military plane, the vibration of the engines soothing me to sleepiness. Mousse sat next to me, mainly to keep an eye on me, I suspected. I don't know what he thought I'd do. His nearness was making me twitchy. He'd tied his hair into a long, shiny black braid that fell over his shoulder and brushed the armrest dividing our seats. Needless to say, I determinedly kept to the window side of my seat. Mousse had changed into a white Chinese tunic and pants, and was no doubt bristling with hidden weapons, knowing him. 

The rest of the plane was taken up by his Chinese soldiers, all of whom had been briefed about Zhang's probable defenses. There was a tense air of expectancy in the small plane. It was the feeling of leashed violence, the energy of soldiers ready to go to war. It all made me a little nervous. I wasn't used to traveling with armed soldiers…though there had been that one time in Vietnam…I looked back out the window and thought back to my conversation with Ranma.

"_What?!_Are you insane?" Ranma's voice had thundered down the phone line to pierce my eardrums. I'd nearly let go of the phone. "You're going into the heart of enemy territory, with just Mousse to protect you? You're going to Zhang's hideout? Are you mad or just freakin' SUICIDAL?!"

"Just trying to get my property back, thank you very much!" I said crisply. It was a liberating feeling, knowing Ranma wasn't close by to physically restrain me. I felt a rush of false courage. He couldn't stop me from doing what I wanted! I was Akane Tendo, secret carrier of international fame. Not Ranma Saotome's fiancée any more. 

"Akane, don't you dare get on that plane without…!" Ranma sounded frantic. I think he'd also started to realize how far away he really was. I wanted to giggle evilly. Ah, it felt so good to get the better of that arrogant pigtailed Saotome for a change!

"Without you? Somehow, the thought of fending for myself doesn't scare me all that much, Ranma! I've managed quite well for the last eight years without you!" I grinned though I knew he couldn't see me. He could probably hear it in my voice, though.

"Oh, is that right?" The change in his tone wiped the grin from my face and sent sudden skitters of nervousness down my spine. "Well, what _should scare you is knowing that when I get my hands on your insubordinate little ass, it's gonna be sore until hell freeze..."_

"Insubordinate?" I demanded. "Who's working for _whom_, buddy?"

"I'm not interested in hearing excuses, Akane! If you step on that plane, I swear…" Whatever he swore I really didn't care to know, so I hung up in his self-righteous face. Too bad I hadn't hung up _before I told him where we were going. _

I shivered slightly as I thought of it now, on the plane. Ranma was probably mad as hell. He'd catch up to me eventually and when he did, there were going to be…consequences. I admit a not wholly unpleasant shiver went through me at the thought. I shrugged. I'd deal with that when the time came. It was getting colder in the cabin as we got closer and closer to the mountains. I'd stopped at a store to buy a sweater and a pair of long johns, as well as a woollen cap and a pair of gloves. I wondered if Mousse was wearing long johns under his Chinese pants. Probably not.

Get your mind out of the gutter, you! I told myself sternly. I almost wished I was traveling with Shampoo instead. Even the kiss of death at that point would be less distracting than a nearby bishounen body. 

"I take it Ranma will be joining us?" Mousse said, raising his voice over the hum of the engines.

"I suppose so," I replied. "I don't know when he'll show up."

"Well, we should be there in about an hour, so…I'll keep my side of the bargain." I watched curiously as Mousse fished out a small silk bag and dropped it into my hand. Even before I opened it, I knew what it was. I drew out the large sparkling diamond and marveled again at its ugliness and the incredible events that had taken place following my acceptance of the assignment. New York seemed far away now. I gripped the diamond tightly, reveling in the feel of its hardness in palm.

"Some kind of life, isn't it?" Mousse said, watching me with his chin propped on one hand. He looked slightly nostalgic, and his eyes had gone the misty green of a secret lagoon. "Back in the Nerima days, fighting, arguing, trying to defeat every rival and claim your own true love, we'd never have thought it would come to this. You wanted to continue your father's dojo, didn't you? What happened?"

Unexpected tears stung my eyes. It had been a long time since someone had asked about that. Even Ranma had skirted the topic. After all, he had been a central part of those hopes and plans.

"I might return…someday." I turned my face away, troubled. My heart throbbed with fresh pain-  sorrow for Kasumi, guilt for not returning and hate for Kuno and Tofu, who had ruined two lives so easily . Briefly I wondered what they were doing now. I'd never wanted to know. When I first learned my special tracking skills, I'd asked Kasumi if she wanted me to track down Tofu, but she'd forbidden me from doing any such thing. So I'd respected her wishes. Until now. Now I wondered if I really should have left it alone. Maybe it was better to know. If I survived this, I told my self, I'd search out Dr. Tofu.

Mousse was silent after that, and when we reached the secluded landing spot his pilot had found, he turned to me.

"We're here," he said briskly, all business now. "Zhang's expecting me tomorrow, so that gives us almost a day's leeway. From here, we'll be walking. I'll send scouts ahead to find the place itself, so you had better stay with me. You'll get the news faster that way."

I nodded and pulled myself out of the seat.

Our group silently exited the plane. A frigid wind hit me as I climbed down the skeleton steps, and I was glad I'd dressed warm. All around me, the sharp Himalayan peaks rose in awesome majesty. Snow covered the ground as far as I could see, and vegetation was sparse. The area was very rocky though. Without a word, the group slowly began jogging through the snow. I kept pace with them, looking around as I jogged, calculating options as different scenarios raced through my mind. We must have been jogging for a couple of hours when one of the scouts returned and spoke to Mousse.

The scout had found the hideout, it seemed, but it was guarded carefully by sentries, and he said he'd seen a laser eye swooping in a search.

Mousse gathered his men around him and gave us his plan of action. 

"It's as we expected," he said. "The place is crawling with guards and cameras. And we don't know what else. We're going to plan B." The men silently dispersed until only I was left standing next to Mousse.

"How were you planning to find this place if you'd taken a commercial flight to Lhasa?" I asked.

"Akane!" Mousse said chidingly, his eyes twinkling at me. "You know all good villains send their private planes, driven by henchmen of course, to meet their guests!"

"Oh, yeah," I said sarcastically. "I forgot."

 "On to plan B!" he exclaimed, pulling out a pair of binoculars from somewhere.

"I thought we already were on plan B?" I asked.

Mousse grinned at me. "We're on plan B of plan B."

"And that would B? I mean, be?" I asked suspiciously.

"You and I are going to sneak in to the fortress."

"What? What about your soldiers?"

"They'll wait here till I radio for them. They'll be the uh..cavalry!"

I folded my arms. "You brought an entire squadron of men so WE could sneak in while they hide out here?"

"Yup."

I was sort of pleased. If it was a choice between me and a squadron, I knew which Ranma would have picked.

"You have a lot of faith in my martial arts skills, huh?" I said.

Mousse smiled at me. "If it comes down to it, I figure I'll throw you at them and run. A girl is always distracting."

"How chauvinistic. As if girls aren't gunned down just as easily."

"Not usually," Mousse replied. "And especially not pretty girls. Don't worry, one day your turn will come and women can be gunned down equally besides men."

"Don't make me hit you again."

We trekked down to where the scout had said the fortress was, and indeed there it was. Built of some white stone, it perched at the edge of a hill, like a white ice palace set in the middle of a city of snow. I could see the guards circling carefully. As we got closer, we could make out sensors scanning every area.

"Wait here," Mousse said. He took out a flask.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to distract them long enough for you to get in. See that high window there?" Mousse pointed. It was small and round, and apparently inaccessible. "You can still jump, right? You've been keeping up on your training?"

I turned an incredulous look on him. "Yes, of course, but you expect me to jump up there?"

Mousse uncorked the flask, and upended it over himself. "Distraction," he whispered as his form shrunk and Mousse sat in front of me covered in white feathers. He was a duck again. He took flight and headed toward the fortress. I followed carefully with his clothes.

The duck disappeared in a flash of wings around the corner, and there was some commotion and muffled yelling. Boy, I could just imagine the surpsie of the guards as a duck appeared, disappeared, and a naked Mousse fell from the sky to go kung fu on their asses. Then I kicked my hentai brain for imagining Mousse naked again. I judged my moment and sprinted for the wall, jumped as high as I could, and clutched the window sill with my fingertips. I scrabbled for a footing, and felt myself starting to slip just as a bare arm reached out, grabbed my wrist, and pulled me in. I was prepared for the sight of a room full of guards, but I wasn't prepared for the sight of a naked Mousse. No longer did I have to fantasize. Here was the reality. In the flesh.

"Ack!" I blushed bright red and looked away. "What are you doing??"

Mousse apparently was perfectly comfortable in the nude, because I heard him casually walk over and take his clothes from my limp arms. He dressed hurriedly, more because we were in the enemy's hideout, I decided, than because he was shy. I just stood looking at the wall, blushing as my mind stubbornly replayed what it had seen. The image of Mousse's slim shoulders, perfectly toned chest and torso, legs, and everything in between, was carved into my mind.

"You're such a jerk," I muttered. "How did you get in so fast?"

"I'm dressed now, Akane." There was amusement in his voice. "People don't expect to be attacked by a duck. Anyway, you can't see ALL my secrets. Just some. Wouldn't want to impress you too much in one day."

I blushed again. Then I looked around mockingly.

"I'm embarrassed, but if you want me to be impressed, I'm afraid you'd still have to take lessons from Ranma." I smiled slightly as Mousse's jaw hung open. "Now, let's go find Shampoo."

As we left, I could se him wondering how I'd gotten to see Ranma naked.

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Okay, by nice y'all and review. 


	19. Fun and Games

Hey all! Let me once again assure you guys, that this IS a Ranma+Akane story, no matter how much Mousse bothers our little heroine. Here's chapter 19 and the chapter 20 will be the LAST! Yay! :D So since you guys have prodded and prodded me with your reviews until now, stick it out and send me reviews for this chapter, prodding me to finish the story with the very last chapter- number 20!! hehe

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Chapter 20- Fun and Games

As we left, I could see Mousse pondering how I'd gotten to see Ranma naked. Let him wonder, the naked-butt-flaunting weasel. Then I looked around the room. And stopped.

"Oh my God," I breathed. 

"Hm?" Mousse paused in the doorway and turned his head to see me. "What is it, Akane?"

"Th…this _room…" I breathed. I hadn't seen it till now, and who can blame me when Mousse was the distraction, but the walls of the room were covered in every sort of sexual torture device I had never conceived of. There were the routine red leather handcuffs, true, and various whips coiled in shining loops on the walls, but here, there was a device that had some sort of black leather seat, which had a hole in it, and the seat itself was attached to gleaming silver chains. And there, a mysterious-looking, knotted, strappy thing, where the straps were linked by small silver circles. One device had hooks. The array went on and on, and for a long moment my heart quivered in atavistic fear as I stared at this gleaming display of sadism. My eyes slid to the bed. It was round, and covered only by a black, rubber fitted sheet. I shuddered and looked at Mousse for his reaction. He was grinning at me._

"Too bad we can't stay and play," he said, "but we have villains to catch."

"You might like these kinds of fun and games," I shot back, "but Shampoo isn't here to flick the whip, so you're out of luck, buddy!" Implying that Mousse was the kind of guy who likes to be on the receiving end, if you know what I mean. As far as I knew, anyway, it was true. I shoved past him and checked the corridor. It was empty, so I pulled out the small gun Mousse had given me and leaving the nose pointed down, I proceeded down the hallway.

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Shampoo stared furiously over her gag at Zhang's henchman, mentally consigning him and everyone in that wretched fortress to hell. She berated herself for the hundredth time for allowing Zhang to catch her sending a message to Mousse. He wasn't generally fond of the Chinese secret service and finding out that one of his prostitutes had been in the service for five years did not make him a happy villain. He already feared what information she'd given out, and the only reason he'd kept her alive was so he could bargain for the Mogul diamond from Mousse.

"Ahh, when you were a high-class whore, you were out of my price range," crooned the henchman. "Now that you're a traitor, though, you're easy meat!" He ripped at Shampoo's bodice, baring her to the waist. She sneered at him.

It's all Akane Tendo's fault! She cursed silently, her left cheek numb from the blows she'd received earlier. Before she came along, Mousse and I were solving this case perfectly fine. Then that stupid Akane comes along, after somehow getting back together with Ranma, who appeared from God-knows-where, and wrecks everything!

Shampoo only hoped Mousse was able to rescue her. She had complete faith in him as a partner. He'd never leave her to hang. But he, too, had lately been showing an inordinate interest in that black widow…whoops, Akane Tendo.

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"I can't explain my inordinate interest in you," Mousse murmured behind me.

"Is this really a good time to discuss this?" I asked, irritated. I was actually starting to wish that Ranma was here, which was a sign of how much Mousse was disturbing me.

"With our lifestyles, there's never a better time," he said pertly.

"How about AFTER we rescue Shampoo? Shampoo…you know, your partner?"

"I never felt like this in Nerima."

"You were never this annoying in Nerima."

"Shampoo would tell you differently."

"Waiting for her to tell me is definitely a solution that works for me!"

"When I saw you in that red dress…"

"In fact, 'never' is good, too!"

"I know you feel the chemistry…"

"Look, Mousse…" I turned to say something and kicked out. A henchman groaned and slid to the ground behind Mousse, who stared down at him.

"Maybe we should put this discussion off till later," he said finally.

"That sounds like an excellent plan," I said as dryly as I could manage.

There was a very slight swish of air, and I jumped back just as a giant six-foot blade sharpened to a shiny edge suddenly sliced through the air in front of me, so close that its passage sliced the edge of my bangs so that the fine hairs drifted down to the ground. Mousse and I stared at the tiny severed hairs wordlessly.

"What is this- Indiana Jones and the Nerima Gang?" I demanded.

"Zhang's known to be fond of his little toys, as you saw in that room," Mousse said thoughtfully, an index finger under his nose and a frown on his face. "There's bound to be more of these little traps. That must be why the outside wasn't as carefully guarded as I expected."

"Why don't YOU go first?" I said graciously.

"Ladies first," Mousse said politely.

"I insist," I growled. Mousse shrugged and walked forward. I followed him, my heart suddenly beating like a snare drum. Mousse walked carefully, studying the floor on which we walked, sometimes avoiding certain tiles…I followed his path as exactly as possible.

The next trap was quite obvious. In fact, it blocked our way. We stared at it with trepidation.

"What the hell is that?" I asked.

In front of us was a long, long trough that completely blocked the hallway. In the trough, mechanized blades crossed and uncrossed in their own particular rhythm. The trough was too long to jump over and the ceiling was too low to allow you to try. Obviously, you were meant to calculate when and where the blades were going to uncross and hop, skip and jump your way across. Not that difficult in theory, but make one mistake and you were gonna lose a foot.

"There must be a pattern to the way the blades cross," Mousse was obviously thinking hard, staring at the clanging blades as he made mathematical calculations.

"Must be," I replied sourly, mentally calculating whether I was really ready to lose a foot to save Shampoo.

"Look. Look at the way the blades cross. It's a rhythm, Akane. You just have to follow the beat."

"Yes, I see it," I said, and I did. I'd never had a math block, after all. If you picked one spot where the blades uncrossed, if you were spry enough and, more importantly, kept the beat in your head, you could follow a zig-zag path all the way to the other side.

"I'll go first," I said. Don't ask me why, but I knew watching Mousse dance across those lethal beams first would destroy any courage I could scrape up. I walked forward slowly, my eyes following the path I would take. Yes, I could follow it almost to the end, and I started to hum the beat out loud.

"DA da da, DA da da, DA da da, DA DA," I said.

"No, it's da DA da, da DA da…"

"Shut UP!" I muttered fiercely, narrowing my concentration. "Don't screw with my beat. If I lose a leg, Mousse, I'll gnaw yours off!!" I walked forward, intent not on the blades, but on the spaces that opened up that would give me passage through that killing field.

 "Here goes," I muttered, and leapt forward. "DA da da, DA da da, DA da da, DA DA!" I skipped and hopped across the moving blades, expecting one of them to slice through muscle and bone at any moment, leaving me to topple one-legged into that awful shifting mesh. Spaghetti Akane. Then, I couldn't think about that anymore, and my vision narrowed until all I could see was the next free square, and the next. 

Then I fell, but that was because I'd reached the end, and so my knees only met the cool marble as I knelt there, shaking. Then I stood up and turned to watch Mousse do the dance of death.

"Good job, Akane!" he said, and began his own crossing. It was almost worse than doing it myself, and I watched with my breath caught somewhere between my throat and my lungs. He looked nimble as he sang out his own beat and skipped across the blades. Then a shout came from the other side, and he fumbled the beat, just for a second, but in that second he lost his hard-won concentration. He lost sight of the square he was aiming for, and his right foot began to come down onto an unfamiliar square. He could have frozen it of course, but already the blades were beginning to close on his left foot.

Not stopping for thought, I sprang towards him (he was close to my side by now), heaved him up and landed on a blade just as it shut over another, and jumped with all my might (Mousse was heavy) towards the other side. We landed awkwardly, rolled and ended up in a heap. I disentangled myself before Mousse could try a quick grope, and sat on the ground marveling at my quickness.

"Much as I would like to thank you for that fantastic feat," Mousse said, coming to his feet, "we've got company!"

I looked, and saw Zhang's guards screaming at us from the other side of the field. Four more suddenly appeared around a corner on our side of the field.

"Dammit!" Mousse cursed.

"You owe me, pal," I said, sprinting off. "You take care of it." 

A few corners later, I was well and truly lost. I had honestly expected Mousse to catch up to me by now.

"Hmph!" I snorted. "Ranma would have!"

I heard a faint, tinny voice screaming in Chinese.

"You putrid piece of crap! You think you can get away with this?"

"That's gotta be…" I said, swinging open the door behind me. "…Shampoo. Hello, nemesis!" Predictably, the room contained one bound-to-a-chair, sexily disheveled Shampoo with a loose gag around her throat and one armed goon leering evilly over her extravagant, bare breasts heaving from fear and distress, or knowing our Amazon, rage and fury.

"I didn't take off your gag so you could…" the man was saying, but he turned when he saw me. "Oh, another woman! Come to join us?" Shows you how far into fairyland he was.

"Perhaps another time," I said pleasantly, waving my little gun at him and watching his face pale. "I just can't see myself in a threesome at this point in our relation ship."

"But you're willing to consider it eventually?" Shampoo shot back spitefully. "I always knew you were a dyke."

"I liked it better back when we were talking in English," I said. "You sounded so much more stupid then."

The goon was watching us, switching his gaze between us like he was at a tennis match. Then he charged me. Admittedly, I was a bit distracted from dissing Shampoo, so you can't blame me for skidding across the floor like an ice cube with Zhang's turkey on top of me, grappling to get his fingers around my neck.

"You're so pathetic, Akane." I could hear Shampoo's contemptuous voice as I wrestled with the turkey.

"This…is…the thanks...I get," I growled out.

 "You haven't saved me yet. And nobody asked you to, anyway."

"Mousse…ouch!...did." The turkey bitch-slapped me. That pissed me off.

"That idiot. Is he around? I told him to leave me behind if I was caught."

"Apparently…" I kicked the turkey in the stomach. "…he has more loyalty…" I spun and smashed my heel into his legs "…than some people…"

The turkey was down for the count. I stood, breathing a bit heavily, staring at Shampoo who stared at me as calm as a cucumber, as though her assets weren't hanging out for the entire world to see. Was it a Chinese thing? Or a Chinese secret service thing? Were they ALL required to be comfortable with nudity or something? I knew I wouldn't have made the cut. I turned away uncomfortably and walked around Shampoo with my eyes averted, stopping to untie her bonds.

Shampoo shook her hands, to bring the feeling back, I suppose. She bit her lip as the blood flowed back into her fingers. I wondered how long she'd been in that chair and felt a reluctant sympathy for her.

"Let's get out of here," I said, looking around. I found a tunic and threw it to Shampoo, who shimmied into it. Well, at least now she was decently covered, I told myself uncertainly, looking at the gaping neckline.

"Where's Mousse?" Shampoo asked, sweeping her hair away from her face. "If he came to rescue me, where is he?"

"He's out fighting the bad guys, princess," I said, heading for the exit.

"Where's Ranma?"

I didn't stop walking, and as I got into the hallway I carelessly threw over my shoulder, "I'm not his keeper." I slammed the door shut just in time to hear Shampoo's kick thud against the wood.

"Ahhh, thank you, shishou, for increasing my battle awareness," I breathed, in memory of my long ago college martial arts instructor, smiling as I heard Shampoo's scream of pain as the door's wood splintered.

Little did I know that fast approaching the fortress, Ranma too was dreaming of inflicting on me the kind of pain I'd inflicted on Shampoo. Or suffering of some kind, anyway.

"She's gonna learn to listen when I say no," Ranma growled to himself a he climbed another snowy rise, following the footsteps of Mousse's Chinese soldiers. "And if Mousse has laid a lip on her, I'll deal with him. I'm gonna show him Akane is mine. And when I get her all to myself, she's going to _beg before I let her go." Beg for what, Ranma wasn't yet quite clear about, but his secluded little cottage in the mountains was gonna be the perfect place to teach Akane everything he wanted her to know, that he was sure about._

***********************

 Hey, think of it this way. This is the last cliffhanger in this story you have to worry about! :) So be nice and review!


	20. Guests of the Spider

**A/N:** Greetings, Patient Readers! This was supposed to be the last chapter, but it was getting pretty long, so the final chapter has been broken into two sections. Here's Part 1!__

_Ranma at the top of the world_

It didn't take me too long to find the fortress.

This area of the Tibetan plateau, the 'roof of the world', was remote enough that anyone who built a fortress here didn't have to worry that adventurous tourists might stumble across it. Without Akane's coordinates, I would've had a tough time, too.Behind me, the Himalayas rose in awesome majesty like a line of young kings, tall and proud. In the southwest, I could make out Mount Kailas, the home of Shiva, the Destroyer.

I shivered slightly as I stood in the shadow of an overhanging snowy rock, assessing the fortress from what I could see of it. The stark contours of Zhang's home spoilt the serene spirituality of this land. The guards making their rounds outside were useless little thugs, unworthy to be here. I wondered how Zhang had even discovered this place. I turned to my companion.

"It's your fault we're in this mess, pal," I said. "If Akane hadn't taken on the assignment, she'd be safe at home by now."

"You can't pin this on me, Mr. Saotome," my companion replied with some asperity. Sir Blaine's lined, aristocratic face was grey with fatigue and his English accent sharp with temper. The man had endured a lot before I'd rescued him. "Miss Tendo had a job to do. I didn't pick her lifestyle for her."

"Most clients don't lead her on a chase across the entire Asian continent without explaining the situation to her," I snapped. "The only reason I'm bringin' you along is as soon as the diamond is in your hands, Akane's job is over, and you can find your own way back home!"

Now I had to find her, and Mousse, that low-down sly…

_Never mind that_, I told myself. _It's time to go get Akane and that diamond and hope she hasn't gotten in way over her head._

_*****************_

_Akane in a jam_

I know what you're thinking…and yeah, maybe I _was out of my depth a little, but hey, I was keeping my head above water…okay, enough of that metaphor._

"Akane, where's Mousse?" Shampoo demanded, rubbing her toes before releasing her foot and looking around. "You said he was here."

The long-haired Amazon looked like some kind of gypsy in her gaping pink, tunic and silky mane. She was even wearing a pair of large hoop earrings. Only her very short miniskirt took away from the image. In contrast, I was wearing jeans and a Tibetan-wool sweater, and gloves. I'd lost my wool cap in the dancing blades of doom. Shampoo looked like Mata Hari, fitting her role of slinky seductive spy. I looked like…James' Bond's disheveled nerd mechanic. 

"Actually, I didn't say he was here, precisely…I sort of lost him." Abashed, I looked around the corridor myself. I didn't particularly _want to find Mousse. The gorgeous, green-eyed martial artist had suddenly developed a __tendre for me and I didn't know what to do about it. My guess was that maybe the strain of this case was getting to him, or, you know, he'd been smoking too much of that homebrewed opium or something._

Yeah, I was making jokes, but I was trying to keep it light because I was getting a strong feeling that I shouldn't have climbed into that plane with Mousse so easily, because now I was starting to feel a little alone, and I'd never felt that way when I was working with Ranma.

_Get a grip_, I told myself sternly. _You've been working alone for a long time now, and you've only been working together with Ranma for seven days!_

Still, those seven days had shown me how great it could be to have a partner, someone to count on, someone to rag on, someone who you could trust your back to. Working the delivery business, I'd come across others of my kind. Some had partners, but most preferred to work alone, as I had. Until now, I'd thought it was the best way to be. 

Shampoo moved off, and I ran after her, hissing, "Where are you going?!"

"To find Mousse," she hissed back, still moving. "Why don't you go find someone else's partner to seduce!"

Oops. So Shampoo was aware of the sexual undercurrent between Mousse and me, but of course she lay all the blame for that at my door. Still, now that I'd found her, I wasn't about to lose her that quickly. I ran after her, alert for trouble and thinking about Ranma still.

Just because I liked him as a partner didn't mean that he'd be willing to continue to work with me. He was a bodyguard, and maybe that was the kind of job he preferred, lots and lots of rules, something the martial student in him understood. My job was a bit of a free-for-all.

I followed Shampoo reluctantly, trying to figure out how far I could trust her.

The hallway back was empty and we still hadn't found Mousse. Shampoo was a few feet ahead of me and she turned to look back at me impatiently. 

Shekuto stepped between us. 

I stopped dead in my tracks. My heart froze in my chest for one long second, then stuttered and sped up into a super-fast rhythm of fear. Shekuto looked between me and Shampoo, who stared back at him in shock. She had just reached the end of our corridor, and could see down the corner.

"Akane Tendo and Xian Pu," Shekuto drawled, his menacing six-foot frame outlined in forbidding black. The soft material of his ninja's outfit especially framed his soccer-ball sized biceps and massive barrel-like chest. his legs were slim in comparison, I saw.

"How nice to have my two women together." He smiled regretfully. "It looks like I'll have to pick one of you to play with right now, and leave my ninjas to retrieve the other later…"

Shampoo bolted.

"Shampoo!" I gasped in indignation as the curvaceous agent's curling locks whipped around the corner after her. My heartbeats increased in tempo. Sweat crawled down my back as I realized that for the first time, I was _alone with Shekuto. The bastard was chuckling. And coming towards me._

********************

_Mousse's Dilemma_

Mousse ducked behind a pillar to avoid yet another guard as he made his way down the huge stone steps into the basement of the fortress. Here was where Zhang's weapons would be, he knew. Once he found them, he could legitimately call in his troops. He moved his hand to the tiny radio in the small of his back, letting it hover over the small unit. He'd already checked as many rooms on the first two floors as he could get away with. Finally, instinct had led him down here.

As he reached the end of the stairs, he worried about Shampoo and Akane. Had the short-haired beauty found his partner yet? Had he distracted her too much for her to stay sharp? His attempts at seduction had just been something fun to try, at first. But somewhere along the way, he'd found himself wanting her genuinely. It surprised him. He pondered the dilemma as he trod the damp stony corridor, dimly lit. The slender pillars and the shadows offered a variety of hiding places to anyone who cared to try an ambush, but Mousse's senses told him the basement had just been recently vacated. He'd taken care of a lot of the guards, but he'd expected more down here.

There. Mousse stopped. On the left, huge double doors, barred and locked. This must be it. He felt it within his bones. Moving right up to the door, Mousse pulled a modified wire-cutter out of one shirt sleeve and deftly cut open the chains. The links made a loud, clinking sound as they reluctantly slid through the door handles and crashed to the ground. Mousse opened the doors, already knowing what he would see.

The room was lit with a single, small electric light, but that was enough to illuminate the rows and rows of boxes, racks of guns, and crates of precious merchandise. Mousse grinned with satisfaction and walked in to take a closer look. He ticked off items on his mental list. Yes, here was proof that Zhang was a smuggler. 

Mousse quickly detached his little radio and contacted the soldier in charge of his team.

"I've found it," he said. "Come in."

The doors slammed shut behind him. He whirled around, seized with a premonition of disaster. But Shampoo stood in front of the doors, her hands behind her holding them shut. Dressed in a slinky low-cut top and a tight skirt, Shampoo was back in her alternate role of Puu. Mousse was so relieved to see her he almost didn't notice.

"Shampoo!" he cried, walking forward swiftly to catch her arms. "You're safe!"

"Of course I am, silly boy," Shampoo purred, her eyes down-turned. "Who asked you to come rescue me? I would have escaped on my own."

"How did you know…Akane! Where's Akane?"

Shampoo brought her hands up and shoved him in the chest, knocking him back a few feet. 

"Who cares?" she asked. "Akane, Akane, Akane! Everyone always wants to know where she is! She's probably running around somewhere trying to save the world. For_get_ about Akane, Mousse!" Shampoo had been walking forward as she talked, and Mousse had backtracked until he hit the crates behind him. She moved in close enough that every slinky inch of her touched him from shoulders to knee. "Remember ME?"

Mousse could smell her soft, erotic fragrance- the one that was all Shampoo, earthy, spicy, sexy. Her weight was soft and full against his, pressing against him with sweet urgency. His hands came up without conscious thought, stroking her dark locks as they fell softly around him, blocking out the room, creating an illusion of silken privacy. 

Shampoo slid her palms up her partner's chest, until they linked behind his neck. She raised her face and began to drop soft, feathery kisses along his jawline, smiling inwardly when Mousse's hand slid around her hip to squeeze her bottom with long, lean fingers. His other hand teased her ribs, slipping under the hem of her tunic and up and to cover one large breast.

She had such lavish breasts, Mousse thought faintly, as he often had before. He'd never denied Shampoo's extravagant charms- the extra bounce to her bountiful breasts, the nip of her tiny waist that made her hips seem so much rounder and curvier, her lush bottom that he loved to knead and squeeze- when she let him, of course.

A thought stopped him.

"You know you're just doing this because you're senses are euphoric from escaping, don't you?" he murmured.

_Actually, I'm doing it to wipe Akane from your mind_, Shampoo said silently._ Aside from the obvious reasons, of course. She moaned in pleasure as Mousse's hands caressed her just where she liked it. Unable to stand it much longer, she caught his braid and pulled his face down to hers, kissing him like she was trying to crawl down his throat. With her left hand, she quickly untied the laces if his trousers, and plunged her hand inside without invitation. Mousse jerked and gave a muffled exclamation, but didn't protest as Shampoo drew him back into her embrace. She stroked him boldly, telling him without words how much she needed him. Still kissing her, he rucked up her skirt and slid into her in one jerky motion, trying to balance her and himself against the crate at the same time._

Shampoo let out a primal scream, and raised her legs to wrap around Mousse's waist. She was locked to him now, riding him wildly. They rode the liquid wave together, Mousse's arm clenched around Shampoo's back.

After it was over, she slid numbly off of him. Quickly, almost embarrassedly, they straightened their clothes- the doors swung open.

"Hope I didn't catch you at a bad time!" Shekuto, grinning, his captive hung over one shoulder, motioned to his guards. "Get them!"

***********

_Akane's Discovery_

The first sensation I experienced was nausea. My head was spinning, and when I opened my eyes, bright light stabbed into my brain, making me wince. I felt oddly disoriented, and my body was swaying. I was being…held…by something. I woke up a little more, trying desperately to remember where I was and what I was doing there.

Shekuto. 

I reared up, found myself pinned to the ninja's shoulder, found my wrists and ankles bound tight. The last thing I remembered was fighting Shekuto, then his massive fist smashing into my left temple like a pile driver, and blackness after that. My ears were still ringing. Before I could try an escape stunt, he lifted me high and dumped me down hard enough to make my head go wobbly again. I blinked, my ears still ringing. My eye opened, and the image that hit the iris of my eye and was transmitted to my brain for explanation was not a friendly one.

We were in a chamber, a small hall. Zhang sat at a large table made of some heavy, dark wood, his hands clasped under his chin. He looked exactly as I remembered him, and even more remarkable, he looked as though he had just returned from the party I'd seen him at. His sloe-black eyes shone at me, and his immaculate goatee, looking as though it had been drawn carefully by an artist with an ink brush, framed his ivory smile. Dressed in a matte black suit with a Nehru collar and subtle black pearl button going down one side, for some reason Zhang reminded me that old villain from the Flash Gordon cartoons, Ming the Merciless. The comparison did not give me an iota of comfort.

"You have the worst timing!"

"I allow no one to play with my toys, Mousse!"

There was a screech next to me, and the sound of a ringing slap. I turned. A ninja stood over Shampoo, who lay in a heap of hair and sprawled limbs. Beside her, Mousse was trussed up like the goose he was. Well, at least we were all together. I chose to look on the bright side.

"Welcome to my parlour, Miss Tendo," Ming said. I mean, Zhang. "Isn't that what the spider said to the fly?"

"You read nursery rhymes?" I asked, and then wanted to bite my tongue. My head and side were hurting, and I suspected at least one broken rib.

"The fly, of course, refused the invitation," Zhang continued, loftily ignoring my comment. "It appears that the common house-fly possesses greater intelligence than you, Miss Tendo."

"It appears that you are a great deal uglier than any spider I ever saw," I said, and almost before I felt Shekuto draw his foot back, I felt a red blossom of pain erupt in my ribs that sent my sprawling, coughing and choking on pain. Luckily, the thick Tibetan sweater took some of the punishment, less than I would have liked, but more than I expected. I lay there, coughing and choking and generally trying to look hurt worse than I was.

"Leave her alone!" I heard Mousse shout. "I've got proof that this fortress of yours is filled with arms, Zhang. You're going to rot in jail for three lifetimes. And my people know where we are."

"That may be," Zhang said, frowning slightly. "But I can make such information disappear as though it never existed."

I wanted to look at Mousse but didn't dare. Had Zhang missed the fact that Mousse was talking about our soldiers outside? Had Mousse called them before he was captured? 

"What do you want from us?" Mousse asked, obviously stalling. Well, it was obvious to me, anyway. I've spent many a lonely night in my apartment with Shampoo, my cat, and boxes of take-out ramen, watching all those Die Hard movies.

"I want the diamond, of course," Zhang said as though I were not coughing my lungs out on the floor at his feet. "Where is it?"

Oh, yeah, I'd almost forgotten. In the fight with Shekuto, I'd dropped it into a knee pocket of his black army pants. In my experience, no one ever actually _used _those pockets. I was crossing my fingers that it was the last place they'd check.

"I did a thorough body search on Miss Tendo," Shekuto was saying quietly. "The diamond was not in her possession."

Yuck, a body search?! I wanted to gag. Imagining those large, lethal hands running over my body while I was unconscious was just too awful to imagine.

"Since we've been so friendly, maybe I should start calling you Akane now," he said with a smirk, looking down at me lying like a crushed shrimp at his feet, his onyx eyes gleaming at me. 

"And how about I just call you asshole?" I shot back, "now that we're moving to first names?"

I groaned as he kicked me again.

"How did you know she had the diamond in the first place?" Mousse asked hurriedly, trying to stave off more hurt for me. 

Shekuto smiled at this, and Zhang began to laugh.

"Oh, how delicious. Are you telling me you have not found out?" he asked in between chuckles. I felt a trickle of cold down in the region of my chest. Zhang chuckling was not a good sight.

"Didn't you ever put it together? I've been chasing you ever since you got the diamond. How did I know? Only three people knew that you had the diamond. One was you. The other was…"

"Sir Blaine," I whispered numbly.

************ 

Blaine and I walked silently down the stone passages, careful not to let our footsteps echo off the granite walls. The hallways were surprisingly empty of ninjas, though most had a nasty surprise or two waiting for the unwary or the clumsy. I pulled Blaine through without difficulty, and I hoped Akane had gotten through them, too. Well, she was more graceful now, I had to admit. Must be easier when she wasn't always being compared to me, I thought, with a trace of my well-known arrogance.

"It's rather intimidating here, I must say," Blaine muttered, looking at the last trap we'd crossed. "This reminds me of something. I feel as though I should be carrying a bullwhip or something."

"Like Indiana Jones?" I asked, amused. "Why don't ya stick to your James Bond image?"

Blaine laughed. "Me? Surely you jest."

"And what IS it you do, exactly?" I asked swiftly.

Blaine only grinned. "Oh, a little bit of this, a little bit of that."

I grunted, and turned my attention back to finding Akane. I was so close, I could feel it, and excitement thrummed in my blood at the thought of seeing her again. It was strange, but when I'd met her again for the first time nearly a week ago, my heart had been impenetrable. Eight years of learning to live without her had created barriers of stone around my heart. Now, though the stone walls surrounding my heart hadn't yet fallen, I knew there were definitely a couple of cracks. Speaking of cracks…was that a shard of light coming from that hole in the wall?

I ran my hands along the stone brick wall, trying to find some entry point.

"Hey! What's going on? Intruders!" A guard had rounded the corner, saw me, and yelled for his comrades.

"Not so fast, buddy," I said.

I felt the cold nose of a gun nestled against my collar.

"Not so fast, Mr. Saotome," said Blaine.

*************************

"Welcome to my room of pleasures, Miss Tendo," Zhang said, smiling nastily through his goatee as he settled into a straight-backed steel chair with black, satin padding. The soft lighting reflected off his shiny black hair, making it look slick and oily.

I was too wise to reply. And, well hell, I'll admit it. I was scared out of my woolen booties. We were back in the room I had climbed into from outside. I was strapped onto a thick wooden 6 foot by 3 foot frame with thick black leather straps that held my arms apart.. My ankles were locked into iron rings set further down. I was splayed like a trophy against the frame. I felt very, very vulnerable. 

On the wall, Shampoo and Mousse weren't faring much better. They were chained to the wall about a foot up from the ground, so that their limbs had to strain against gravity. It looked very uncomfortable.

"Well, it won't be quite as pleasurable for you," Zhang was saying. 

"Why would Blaine betray me?" I cut in. "I was bringing the diamond to him, anyway."

"I'm asking the questions here, my dear Ms. Tendo," Zhang said, looking irritated. "I shall keep you and your friends here until you reveal the diamond's location to me. Shekuto is waiting to play with you." The villain smiled. "He's got some…toys...he wants to share."

Toys? Play? C'mon, what was with the James Bond dialogue?

I could feel mad giggles rising like champagne bubbles in my chest, and all my energy at the moment was going into stifling them, in case Zhang took offense and offed me too quickly. 

I glanced over at Shekuto and all desire to giggle abruptly left me. The wide-shouldered ninja was standing next to another ninja holding a bucket of water and a table. On the table, various shiny instruments glinted on a black velvet nap. A horrible terror seized me , a feeling not unlike the one I get at my dentist's office. Revulsion at the thought of those shiny instruments poking, pearling with blood, MY blood…made my hair curl.

"Actions speak louder than words," Shekuto said, looking evilly handsome as he picked up an instrument with a hooked edge and drew closer. "So I shan't say much. I shall simply begin. However, I'm hoping your screams will be the loudest of all."

The ninjas standing around laughed, as if their creepy boss was actually funny. I certainly didn't think so. Or maybe I was just prejudiced. Sue me.

"This is all your fault," I glared at Mousse as Shekuto bent towards my foot. My eyes were trained on the tiny, sharp, shaaarp instrument he was bringing closer to my toe…Cold fear crawled down my back. "If you hadn't stolen the diamond from me, I wouldn't be in this mess!"

"How can you blame me?" Mousse asked, looking puzzled. I refused to look at him. He followed my gaze to the general direction of the torture table as he said, "You were the one who was careless with the diamond."

"Me?" I asked, and felt a sharp pain on my small toe and screamed. "Damn you, Mousse! I should sell you out right now!"

"You're too weak to be in this business!" Mousse snapped. "A little torture and you're ready to spill?"

It felt like my leg was on fire. Shekuto had disappeared below my line of vision, but the tearing sensation on my foot and the disgusted expression on Shampoo's face as she watched Shekuto stick his toys in me wasn't comforting at all. I was stretching and pulling at my bonds, trying to escape the pain. 

For a second, I tried to remember why I was keeping the diamond hidden. After all, Blaine was supposed to receive the diamond, and it turned out he was working with Zhang. Then why had Zhang's goons been chasing me? Screw this. I wasn't saying anything until someone explained it to me.

Shekuto moved his arm, the pain became agony, and I allowed myself to drift into unconsciousness, even as I heard Zhang make a sound of displeasure.

"Play with her later, Shekh, first I need…"  

***************

I was drowning. Sputtering, I woke up to see Shekuto holding a half-full bucket of water and watching me patiently. Shampoo was watching now with comprehension.

"I KNEW you couldn't take a little torture!" said Mousse, sneering. "I don't know why I trusted you…"

"How would YOU like to be tortured then?" I yelled through clenched teeth. Shampoo was staring at me, then at Mousse.

"What good would it do? You know Shampoo's the one who…" Abruptly, Mousse shut up. 

I could almost see Zhang's interest perk up. He focused on Shampoo, who looked a bit fearful.

"Has the stone been hidden on you all along, my dear Puu?" he purred. Shekuto immediately moved forward and searched her, with no luck. He backhanded her in frustrated rage, and Shampoo fell limp against her bonds.

Zhang cursed.

"Fool! You don't know your own strength! Wake her up!" he screamed.

Shekuto threw the rest of the contents of the bucket in Shampoo's face.

On to Part II! The final Bit!


	21. The heart wins

_A/N: _Okay, everyone here it FINALLY is! The last chapter of Hearts or Diamonds! Thanks to everyone who chased me until I finished it. What with getting married and moving, it was all very hard, but whew…it's done! I'd have liked to have added more detail, but if there's a sequel, I'll put it into that.

Please let me know what you thought. I might still refine the ending a bit more, but it's 1200 am, and I have work in the morning.

Thanks loads to everyone who stuck it out with me. I started this fic more than a year ago, and there have been lots of you guys who were there from the start, including Oyuki, especially, and new fans, thanks to Danae and her awesome Spanish website! Well, here ya go!

************************

_Akane___

Shekuto flung the rest of the water from his bucket into Shampoo's face, and she transformed. She shrank in the blink of an eye into a slim white cat and sprang onto Shekuto's startled face, claws fully extended. The ninja yelled, stumbled backward, blinded by the feline fury Shampoo had become. Her yowls of fury echoed through the room as henchmen and villain alike stared in shock.

"Get her off him, you fools!" Zhang shouted.

It was too late. Shampoo was now only a white ball of fury that no one could catch, and Shekuto's face was clawed red. She leaped from his forehead to the table, where Zhang had placed his cup of tea. She upended it, and before the ninjas could quite recover from seeing the cat turn back into a curvaceous, gorgeous chick, she had sliced through Mousse's bonds. Now they were both free and the ninjas shut their mouths and went to work.

Well, lucky them. Here I was, still strapped to the board, unable to move. My leg was on fire, and there were two of them against a crowd of ninjas. Well, the odds weren't too bad, but now more were pouring in from the hallway.

************************

_Ranma___

"???" I stared at Blaine. I was standing with my back to the wall in one of the storerooms, hands up, looking down the dull, deadly barrel of Blaine's Beretta 92 FS handgun, not enjoying the experience in the least.

"It's not easy to double-cross EVERYbody, Mr. Saotome," Blaine was explaining with a grin on his face, twirling one end of his mustache with his free hand. "Yes, I _was_ originally meant to represent a minor Indian official. Poor chap was quite determined to get the Mogul back to his country and display it in some sort of museum, you see. Rather silly of him to trust me, what? Considering the Kohinoor is still in Britain's hands." Blaine laughed at this point, still careful to keep an eye on me.

We were waiting with five other ninjas for chains to truss me up in. Blaine had been very specific about that as he sent a couple of Zhang's flunkies scurrying.

"Perhaps he's not as dishonorable as you," I said.

"Whatever it is, I'm afraid he was misinformed. Zhang and I have been secret partners in the smuggling trade for a few years now. And as my partner, he wanted to cut in on the deal, naturally." Blaine stopped. "Oh, here they are with the chains. Good men!"

He looked on in satisfaction as the ninjas began to tie me up. I tried to ignore his blathering as I looked for a way to escape. With a gun centered at my forehead, it wasn't as easy as you might think.

"But then I thought to myself, Roger, you came up with this idea all on your own. Why share it with Zhang, who's got loads of money already? That's when I decided on the idea of a courier! Rather brilliant if I say so myself."

I glared at him. "You hired a courier so anyone could take potshots at her, all the while waiting for her to bring the diamond to you…"

"Oh, well, I'd heard of Akane Tendo's reputation you see. She's never yet failed to deliver. Zhang and the Indian minister were not similarly enlightened."

"So all you had to do was tell each one that the other had stolen it, and you would have the diamond delivered to your own doorstep!" I watched as the ninjas continued to wrap chains around my shoulders, between my legs, wrap around my wrists and around my neck so that I was bowed back, my wrists touching the backs of my knees.

"Smart boy." By now, the ninjas had secured me tightly and Blaine gave the signal for them to retreat. "Now I shall pay a visit to the lovely Miss Tendo and see how things are progressing. Zhang might have wrested the diamond from her by now."

I watched as Blaine and his entourage pulled the heavy door closed behind them. I could hear them pulling the giant oak bar across it, then some clinking of keys which I took to mean they'd locked the door as well.

"That creep, using Akane like that!" I muttered. Still, that's what the villains of the world did. They abused the innocent for their own ends. And martial artists were sworn to defend the innocent, right? Right.

I looked around the room. It was large, and there was plenty of space for what I wanted to try. I lay on my side, my wrists crossing my ankles at the small of my back. An uncomfortable position for most people, but not for me. I began to rock back and forth, slowly at first, then faster. There were so many chains tied around me that they grated against the stone floor as I tried to move, but I persevered. Eventually, my momentum allowed me to rotate in a small circle, using my shoulders as a fulcrum.

"Don't lose it!" I gritted out, as I began to spin faster and faster, keeping my momentum growing. Despite my efforts, the chains were heavy, and their uneven shape was throwing me off track. I tried to rise higher onto my shoulders, tuck my knees closer against my chest and began to spiral faster and faster into larger and larger circles, so that I must have looked like a crazy top spinning loopily on its axis.

"C'mon c'mon, get the body in motion," I muttered to myself, as the beat of the Wiseguys' hit song suddenly came into my head. I spun faster and faster, feeling the chains digging into my flesh with every turn.

_Get up, get up, put the body in motion…_

Nevertheless, I concentrated, and I began to glow blue.

_Get up get up_

_Get up get up_

The song beat a tattoo in my head.

And finally I started gaining speed. The room whirled around me in a swirl of shadows, as though I was on a merry-go-round in hell. The glow lit my face and the walls eerily, my bangs rippling in the wind of my chi. I spun faster still. The blue glow expanded, and there was a loud bang. I flexed my arms with a shout and fell back to the floor as pieces of broken chain rained around me.

"Hiryu Shoten Ha, revised yet again!" I shouted triumphantly and rolled to my feet.

"Saotome's still got it!" I crowed, shaking a fist in the air. Then I fell down.

"Ooh, the room's still spinning," I noted woozily, flat on my back.

Akane was waiting for me. Dammit, I had to get up.

"Gimme a second, Akane, I'll be right there…" I put my fingers to my head, and tried to stop seeing stars. That silly song was still bopping in my head, the way a song can get annoyingly stuck in your head sometimes.

I slowly got to my feet, still hearing '_get up get up' in my head…_

I fisted my hands and cracked my knuckles, feeling a crazy grin on my face. My blood was up, and I felt like cracking some heads together before I caught up with my errant lover.

_Get up, get up, put the body in motion_

"Ranma Saotome's in da house!" I sang out, and began building up chi.

_Time to start the commotion_

The storeroom doors blew outwards, flattening a score of startled ninjas.

******************

"Where's Ranma when I could have used him for a change?" I thought, watching Shampoo and Mousse make short work of Zhang's ninjas. The problem was, more of them were pouring in through the open doorway.

The second problem was, Shekuto had recovered somewhat from Shampoo's scratching and was now headed towards me, an extremely hostile expression on his face. Zhang was watching me with a predatory expression on his face.

Panic was pumping adrenaline into me, and I could no longer feel the burning in my leg. Much.

_This is what always gets you into trouble,_ said that dry little voice that ignored dangerous situations as a BAD TIME TO SPEAK UP. _You expect Ranma to rescue you, and he does, but you're never quite sure if it was YOU he came for or the dratted solution to his curse._

"Shut up," my mind snarled. "You're just here to distract me, as usual. I've fought with you for eight years over the could-have-beens in my life, and this is no time to start again!"

The voice had started soon after I left Japan. It sneered at me, thought it was superior, and I was convinced it was a part of my ego that couldn't resist picking my decisions apart. I tried ignoring it when I could, but it always seemed to crop up in my weakest moments.

_Has there ever been a time when you were sure he'd come for you, and you only?_

"Well, he…that time in Togenkyou, he boiled up the water to save me," my mind replied, knowing that it was easier to answer than try to shut the voice up once it got going.

_Of course, what else would he do? He's chivalrous at heart, after all, _the sneaky voice kept on. _ But chivalry is not love._

"I KNOW that," my mind yelled, "but I know that he loves me. He loves me no matter what!"

My heart, a silent spectator to the screaming match in my head, agreed just as silently.

But the voice wasn't ready to let up.

_So you don't NEED him to prove he loves you by saving you?-_ The voice asked dryly.

"Of course not!"

_Then save yourself, Akane._

Save yourself.

The thought echoed in my head and I realized that once again, I was depending on Ranma. Sure, until he'd shown up, I'd written him out of my life, and my independence asserted itself enough so that I was quite efficient at taking care of myself.

As soon as he shows up, though, I became the maiden in distress, and I hoped he'd come in to save the day, like he always did.

Because that would prove that he loved me.

"Not this time," I swore. "I'm still a Tendo, not a Saotome throwaway, and I can save myself."

I flexed my biceps and wrenched, hard. Felt something give slightly in the frame I was bound to. But Shekuto was a lot closer, now, almost close enough to reach out with those huge fists and crush the life out of me.

Shampoo yelled and body-slammed him. I could tell he wasn't expecting that. Even as he fell and rolled, something sparkling shot high into the air.

Everyone froze, just for a split-second.

Zhang, Shekuto, Shampoo, Mousse, the ninjas and I watched as the Great Mogul diamond arced high in the air, poised at the top of the parabola for an infinite moment, and fell to earth, right into Zhang's hot, little hands.

The smuggling tycoon stared at his treasure for a second before he looked at Shekuto, lying on the floor.

"YOU had it!" he breathed. "Double crosser!"

"Noooo…Master…" Shekuto disavowed, shock and puzzlement in his eyes.

Damn, now everyone knew my hiding place.

Zhang made a run for it, and the fighting began again, as I cursed in frustration.

"So close!" I muttered helplessly from my bound state, my eyes tracking Zhang as he disappeared behind a statue.

Shekuto roared with rage and punched Shampoo hard. She rolled with the punch, using the momentum to twist her body and run up the wall sideways before launching a kick at Shekuto. With the hulk thus occupied, I got to work on my bonds.

I flexed my arms again, curved my spine, straining mightily, and wrenched again. A sharp pain shot through my side, but I ignored it and pulled again, hard and fast.

The frame snapped off its stand with a sound like a shot. 

Its weight overbalanced me and I nearly fell to the ground. Wobbling, I managed to straighten myself and stood, my wrists still pinned to the frame. One of my legs was free, though. I hopped towards the entryway like an ungainly bat, concentrating on my martial balance.

Ninjas came for me, but Mousse distracted them. Reaching the door, I turned and slammed the frame into the open doorway, blocking any more ninjas from coming in. The rectangle of wood wouldn't keep them out for long. Already, I could hear weapons thunking into the wood at my back. It wouldn't be long before a sharp blade penetrated the wood and sheared into my spine.

I worked my trapped leg through the iron bond, turning my ankle in ways that would be impossible for a normal person. I'd taken ballet in university, however. They taught you to treat your toes like fingers and your feet suffered cruel and unusual punishment. I'd enjoyed it, though, because it showed me action could be feminine.

My foot protested, but some jiggling and a scrape or two later, the foot was free. I arched it up to my wrist, and worked the toes until they wiggled their way under the strap. I let the natural arch of my leg do its work and spring back down, pulling the strap until it ripped free of the frame.

I used the hand to pull the last strap off my other hand and sprang away from the door, just as a shining katana pierced the wood like a steak knife shearing through meat.

I stared at six inches of shining steel protruding from the frame, and gulped. Close call. That had almost gone through my spine.

I needed a weapon. I looked around and saw lots.

When the frame smashed down to the carpet and ninjas poured over it into the room, their eyes widened when they saw what I held.

"Come on, boys, mama's gonna whip you into shape!" I laughed crazily, and menacingly cracked the long, red leather whip I held in one hand. I'd snatched it from the wall of horrors. It had been right next to a cat-o-nine-tails. The ninjas stared for one timeless moment, then with a shout they attacked.

I didn't bother cracking the whip again. The first time had been for show. This time, I simply wrapped it around the foot of the first attacker and slammed him into the wall. I slammed my palm sideways into the throat of the next one, denting his larynx. He fell to the ground, choking. I brought the whip into play again, snapping it around two ninjas at once and yanking on the whip to send them flying. I gave another ninja a stinging crack in the face, then whirled and slashed again at another one.

Shampoo had had the advantage of surprise in fighting Shekuto, but she'd lost that now and I didn't think he'd let her trick him again. He was pounding her like a piledriver. Across the room, Mousse was disappearing in a crowd of ninjas.

Shekuto finally growled, and picked a nearly unconscious Shampoo up and threw her toward the exit. Mousse and I watched as her body sailed through the air, descended and was caught in a pair of sturdy arms.

Ranma was here.

Despite my newfound decision not to depend on him, I nevertheless had to admit he made an entrance.  

The ninjas paused again, eyeing this new entry warily. 

I almost smiled. 

They were about to get trounced.

Ranma walked into the room, carrying an unconscious Shampoo in his arms. He ignored the ninjas, ignored Shekuto. He looked straight at me.

"Are you okay, Akane?" he asked.

I stared at him. He'd followed me, just as I'd known he would. Was he mad that I'd disobeyed him? It was hard to tell. I decided bravado was the best front.

"I'm fine," I said, giving my whip a lazy twirl. "I saved myself," I added defiantly. I don't know what compelled me to add that. Maybe it was seeing Shampoo in his arms.

Ranma cocked an eyebrow, smiling. "So I see," he said. "Well, then I guess all that's left is to save Shampoo."

_Shampoo?_ My ego said indignantly.

Ranma placed his burden carefully on the ground, straightened and sent Shekuto a glare, cracking his knuckles.

"That girl is a friend of mine," he said, "and I just can't stand people who hurt my friends."

"And you seemed to have busted up Akane's leg," Ranma said, his voice growing deadlier. "For that, you're gonna pay."

I grimaced. I'd sort of forgotten about the leg in the whole adrenalin rush of getting free, but trust Ranma to notice.

Shekuto smiled grimly, and made a 'bring it on' motion with his index fingers.

I sighed. Macho posturing.

In the meantime, Zhang had escaped with the diamond. I'd leave them to their play and find the master spider. 

Where had he gone? I looked around the room carefully. He'd been near the naked statue of a satyr when he disappeared. I walked up to it as Ranma and Shekuto began to fight. I examined it from all angles, and blushed when I saw how explicitly nude the statue really was.

"Wow, that's a lot of…detail." I looked closer, blushing, and there, right on his happy man, I could see a button. "What a pervert." I poked the button gingerly. Nothing happened. I looked up at the statue's leering face. He looked like he was laughing at me.

"You've got to be kidding."

I placed my fingers gingerly around the statue's penis, grasped it and turned it with my thumb depressing the button. Sure enough, a whole section of the wall slid away, revealing a cavern of stone. The sight was so unexpected that I quite forgot I was holding a statue's genitalia. Zhang was nowhere to be seen, but he was sure to be close by.

I released the statue and walked in, peering around. Ranma, Mousse and Shampoo were still back in the room, but I wasn't worried. I could take on the shrivelled spider easily. I walked furthur in, noting that the cavern looked like it was carved out of ice. No surprise there. My footsteps echoed through the tunnel, and I looked around for Zhang.    

"Aack!" I gasped as hard fingers seized my wrist. I turned, fully expecting to see another super-sized villain, but it was Ranma who held me in his grip.

"Ranma!" I stared at him. "A ha ha ha…you scared me."

"Damn well you should be scared!" He hissed, pulling me closer, until our bodies were flush against each other. "I warned you about coming here alone and you deliberately disobeyed me."

"Mousse was with me," I replied, struggling to release myself.

"You're not helping things," he growled, grabbing my shoulder.

I smiled weakly. I wanted to tell him that I loved him, but now didn't seem to be the best time.

 "Where's Shekuto?" I whispered.

Ranma looked haughty. "Just a bunch of big muscles, nothin' fancy. I took care of him."

Stones clattered hollowly behind us, as though they were falling.

I spun around.

"What was that?" Ranma demanded.

"Zhang," I said tersely. "He has the diamond."

The little rat was close. I could almost smell him.

We set off in the direction of the sound, crossing a vast cavern until we came to a bridge with a low roof studded with stone stalactites. The bridge was immensely narrow, merely a handspan width to walk on.

"Stay here," Ranma said, and began to cross.

"Like hell," I said.

He swung back and leveled a warning glare at me.

"You don't want to be close to me just now, Akane. My fingers are still itching to give you a good whipping."

I laughed nervously and put up my hands palms-out in a soothing gesture.

"Whatever you say, Ranma." Obviously, he was still mad. Geez, and I thought guys liked independent women.

Ranma walked across the narrow bridge with confidence. Just as he reached about two thirds of the way across, there was a clang and iron chains dropped down to imprison him in their links.

"Not again!" he cried.

Zhang appeared on the opposite end of the bridge, laughing gleefully. In his hands, the diamond glowed brilliantly.

"Fools" he cried. "You thought I could be so easily vanquished? Now it's YOU who are trapped."

"You won't get me so easily, you little twerp," I vowed, starting across the bridge.

"Keep back, Miss Tendo," Zhang warned, throwing a hand out to stop me. "You're too lovely to be roasted."

Roasted?

Even as we watched, there was a deep grinding noise, and immense heat assaulted my exposed skin from the chasm. I peeked over the lip of the chasm with dread.

A molten lake of lava bubbled forty feet below us.

"My own little emergency exit," Zhang crowed. "Cross now, Miss Tendo, and I'll drop your boyfriend into the lake before you can say 'Crispy, please'! Wahahahahahaha!" He threw his head back, laughing evilly.

I glanced back at Ranma worriedly. He was struggling with the chains, but they were seriously massive, and he didn't have much of a grip. I didn't want him to be toast. Was Zhang about to get away? But if I were to stop him, Ranma would be history. We were meeting after so long. I wasn't about to let some evil Flash Gordon villain end Ranma's life when there was so much ahead of him!

"Ranma," I called, worry in my voice.

Almost like it was mocking me, the diamond sparkled more brightly, unreachable. I stared it gloomily. And then I had to look away, because its brightness was reaching incandescence.

"What the hell..?" Zhang cried.

The brightness dimmed, and when I looked at Zhang again, I stared at him sternly.

"You will not separate me from my love," I said in a strange accent.

_My LOVE?__ Did you just say that out loud, idiot?_

"What?" he said, blinking.

"WHAT?!" Ranma gawked at me.

"I've been separated from him for too many lifetimes," I said, feeling sadness and loneliness run through me. I was familiar with the emotions. I'd experienced them over the centuries as I was separated from my love. I looked up at where my lover hung from chains. "Darling, don't worry, we'll be together now."

_Wha__…centuries?_ It's only been eight years! This isn't me!__

"I know," he said, in a deeper voice than usual. "I wish we hadn't had to be apart for so long."

"It was decreed," I said, moving onto the bridge, ignoring the heat. Such things bothered me no longer. My eyes were only on him. "Too many opposed our union."

I could feel the other presence in me now. She was older than me, and dead. So she'd taken over my body to speak to her long-dead lover. I recognized her. I'd dreamed about her when I'd had the diamond. She was nobility of some kind, from the Mughal period in India.

"They are not here any longer," Ranma said, his eyes brimming with love. He was some kind of warrior, I assumed with the part of my mind that was still Akane. The ghostI knew he would have reached down to her/me if he could but the chains were in his way.

She/I raised my hand, let the diamond channel her/my power up into him so that the chains loosened, unbound themselves and fell clanking, onto the bridge.

Free, her/my lover pulled her/me into his arms, cradled my head and crushed her/my lips to his. She/I sighed with happiness against the pull of his mouth, filled with joy to be enfolded in those arms after so long.

We drew apart momentarily.

"My rivals were jealous," he said, "that I should have one as beautiful and fine as you."

"All the women were jealous of me," She murmured. I couldn't help thinking that I could identify with that.

"But now, we can be together," he said. "Always."

And just that suddenly, I felt like I'd been splashed with cold water, as something warm left my body, and I was left in Ranma's embrace.

The ghosts were gone. We blinked at each other.

"Hmmm," Ranma purred.

"Ack!" I jumped back, startled.

We heard the sound of running feet, and Ranma said," Where do you think YOU're going?"

Zhang was belting off as fast as his little feet could carry him. When Ranma materialized in front of him, he stopped so suddenly he fell over his own feet, sending the diamond tumbling from his grasp.

Ranma caught it with swift fingers and tossed it to me.

"That's mine!" Zhang yowled, his fingers opening and closing.

Ranma leaned down and looked at him.

"Where you're going, you won't have to worry about pretty little baubles like these," he said, hauling up Zhang's collar.

When we got back to the Red Room, it was crawling with Mousse's soldiers, who had finally gained entrance to the fortress. They had most of the ninjas under guard, and were chasing down the rest. Three had Shekuto tied up.

One of the soldiers was reporting to Mousse in a distracted manner, his eyes staring at the devices of deviation strapped to the walls.

Mousse himself had a gorgeous black eye forming, and he was scowling at Ranma and rubbing his cheek.

"You struck him!" I accused Ranma, who turned to look at me with a smirk.

"Did you strike him in the confusion?" I demanded.

"No, I struck him in the face, and he damned well deserved it," my ex-fiance retorted.

Ranma handed Zhang over to two of the soldiers, and turned to me.

I was still slightly shocked from being taken over by a ghost, and a bit leery of being around him but he was having none of it.

He grabbed me around the waist, and looked deep into my eyes.

"You drive me crazy, you know that?" he asked, his blue-grey eyes twinkling with mischief. "But that's okay. I have plans for you."

"I…" Before I could respond, he captured my lips with his, showing me quite thoroughly exactly what sort of plans he had for me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Shampoo scowl at us, then faint into Mousse's arms. Well, the Chinese pair hadn't scored romantically, but they'd be heroes back in China once they hauled Zhang in and turned his fortress over to be examined. The fortune in stolen cargo alone would be worth millions.

Yes, I couldn't bring myself to feel _too sorry for them, especially when Ranma's kisses were setting me on fire. I closed my eyes, moaned when that simply deepened the sensations that tingled through my body and kissed Ranma back._

He tore his lips from mine, breathing harshly.

"Time for a change of scene," he said.

****************

The cottage was set deep in the mountains. It was snowing and the path leading up to the cosy little cabin was inaccessible for most vehicles. That suited Ranma just fine. He'd spent most of three days and nights showing me just how much he'd missed me, after torturing me a bit for disobeying him. I took it with good grace. I still wasn't sure what I was going to do with him. We hadn't spoken of the future. We were just glad to have survived the past.

I stood looking out the window as snow flakes gently drifted down beyond the glass pane. Beside me on the table lay a newspaper. The headlines read 'Great Mogul diamond returned to Indian Government, safeguarded in museum', and below that, 'Indian public ecstatic'. The finer print was hidden by a tray of hot chocolate and a plate of cookies. I grabbed one to munch as I turned to look at Ranma.

He lay in bed, covered only by a single sheet that draped dangerously low over his hips. Lying there, he looked like a desert sultan, waiting for his houri.

"Come back to bed, Akane."

I looked briefly again out of the window, at the snow piled in soft mounds outside our window, at the mountains glittering in the morning sunshine, and the world hidden beyond, waiting for us.

But that was a while away. For now, I had Ranma.

I traced a diamond on the frozen window pane, studied it. Then I drew a heart.

I glanced at the paper thoughtfully, rubbed out the diamond and walked back to the bed to fall willingly into Ranma's arms.

Hearts, or diamonds?

I knew what choice I had made.


End file.
